44 
SHORE BIRDS. 
early in the season, they stop and make the large marshes 
their home, flying north in the morning and returning south 
toward evening. The birds are then said by bay men to have 
established “ a trade.” 
One great advantage in shooting in bays and broad-waters, 
where the tide rises and falls but a few feet or inches, is that 
the blind can be occupied by the gunner throughout the day, 
without the annoyance of being driven out at high water. 
Meadow ponds on this account are often selected, for al¬ 
though they do not afford the best shooting during the 
morning and evening flights, yet admit of a stationary blind 
being built from which more or less birds can be shot during 
the day, particularly when driven from the shoals at high 
water. 
The decoys, or “stools,” as they are called, are always 
to be set to the windward of the blind and, though twenty 
or thirty are generally used, we prefer to set out about fifty, 
as the greater the number the better the show to attract the 
flocks. The stools should be set in a crescent-shaped circle, 
with the heads of the decoys pointing to the wind. There 
are two reasons for arranging them in this way : First, all 
wild fowl light to the wind, as they need the resistance of 
the air ; second, a flock of birds that intend to stool, drop 
down to leeward, where they circle and then draw in over 
the decoys. It is, therefore, not advisable, as a rule, to 
shcot at a flock passing over your head, as it will turn, and 
should it light it will do so at the head of the line of stools. 
It will thus be seen that as the birds check their flight to 
alight they crowd and jostle together, affording the most 
killing results of a well-directed volley into their ranks. 
There are various kinds of stools manufactured, such as both 
solid and sectional wooden ones, hollowed out; flat tin 
stools, cut out of sheet tin, and several years ago a patented 
tin stool was introduced on the market, that met with favor 
in the eyes of those sportsmen who cared little for expense. 
The latter are of very ingenious make, each half of the de¬ 
coy being concave on the inside and convex on the out, 
thus representing one-half of a bird; the two parts are 
