days, and his shooting will be excellent each day. It is advisable to scatter corn both in the hole and around its edges on the ice; put plenty in the hole if the water is shallow. The birds will soon discover this and will come often; and if the hunter is a good shot, will tarry long. As fast as killed, set up the dead ducks for decoys; keep on until you have a good sized flock,-no fear of having too many, the more the better. In building a blind, advantage must be taken of locality. If in timber, secrete yourself well with a good open place to shoot through. Better have an indifferent blind, and an open place to shoot through, than the best of blinds when you find you cannot shoot without interference of limbs. Should you find the shooting must be had in an exposed pond or river, where a shore blind cannot be made, your ingenuity will be taxed to hide yourself and you must depend as much on quietness and patience, as on a blind. Should the ice be strong enough to bear you, build a small wall 8 or 10 inches high of ice or snow to conceal you; a little hay, a rubber blanket spread over it; cover yourself with a white cloth, wait patiently; it's a splendid place for contemplation, especially if the thermometer registers down about zero; and you can drive away the coldness by thinking of Turkish baths, strawberries and cream, and the church sociables you enjoyed the past summer. One writer speaking of ice-hole shooting, says a a good way to build a blind is, "take a barrel, chop a hole through the ice so the barrel will slip through, nail pieces of scantling on the sides of the barrel, fill the barrel with water until it sinks down far enough, then bail the water out, first cutting narrow edges

through the ice; push the scantlings down, give them

a half twist and they will hold the barrel where wanted. Put in hay and push snow against the top of the barrel to hide it, and the blind is complete."

No doubt this would work, but it would hardly pay to go to so much trouble. The only good way is to shoot from the shore as first mentioned,-any other manner has drawbacks that will more than offset the pleasure derived.

Never take any chances in trying to get duck shooting around ice. Better not get a shot than attempt to get to some place where there is a flight, and then take chances on breaking in. If you haven't a boat or a good dog, and know you cannot get the dead birds without retrieving them yourself over ice that might be weak, turn your back to that hole and walk away,— you have no right to take any such chance, and no wise man will do it. Death by drowning is said to be an easy death. If, then, you prefer death in this way, choose summer time; the water will feel decidedly more pleasant, and flowers are much cheaper.

་

CHAPTER XI.

IN THE MARSH-MORNING, MIDDAY AND EVENING

DUCK SHOOTING.

ONE of the first impressions engrafted into the mind of the young hunter is the thought of early and late shooting. When he has become fully supplied with gun, clothes, dog, decoys, and the many incidentals that go toward completing his armament or outfit, his mind. naturally runs in the channel of shooting. Older friends and experienced hunters tell him what they have done, times they have had, shooting in indistinct light by the dim twilight, and even by the moon's pale rays. So his desire is to start early, and either by driving or rowing, to be stationed on the shooting ground at break of day.

Grant, then, indulgent reader, that you and I know such an amateur hunter, and for the purpose of illustration, allow me to take an inexperienced person out for a hunt, the special object being to give him the benefit of our experience and practical knowledge. Among our intimate friends, now that you are to have a voice in choosing, who shall we take? Ah! I read your thoughts; mine are the same, and he is the one I will ask. Who is it? Why, who could it be but yourself. It seems strange how the same thoughts will run at times, in the minds of different persons, doesn't it! Possibly you smile and reply, "Great minds run in the same channel." Not so with us, however, for we

lay no claims to greatness. Your claims, no doubt, are those of innate modesty, while mine are

"Well! well! come with me, and we will get things ready for an early start, as we have five to seven miles to go, and must be in the marsh at break of day. You can get shells at the gunsmith's loaded, or, if you prefer, load them yourself. At any rate take plenty. Better bring back twenty, than run short. No matter what your success may have been in any one day, if you allow yourself to run short a few shells, the pleasure derived is entirely lost, by reason of the chagrin and disappointment felt when out of shells. You will find it poor consolation indeed to think how many shells you have left at home, and might have brought along.' Yes, you will feel that you might have done a great many thingsand as you see the mallards flopping over your decoys, then alighting within twenty yards, saying to you derisively, · M'amph!' you will go down in your pockets for the twentieth time feeling for the shell that isn't there, then grate your teeth, smother an exclamation, forcible but not elegant, appropriate but not refined, and you will arise in your blind filled with disgust, as you see the mallard rise and leisurely fly away, while over the marsh his mocking cry reaches you, M'amph,' 'm'amph.' Then, through your brain, fast fleeting thoughts pursue one another, and this one always at the head-how thoughtless I was in not bringing more shells!' Then you think you might possibly have been a bigger fool.-but you doubt it emphatically.

"The shooting to-morrow will be mostly over decoys. Your gun throws No. 6 shot, close and strong, and that is the size you had better shoot. That size you will find is always right for ducks in a choke bore gun; be-

cause the gun will throw them closely together, and you will find, if held right, that sneaking cripples will stand a poor chance of escaping the charge; while pintails circling around at a height of fifty and even sixty yards, will be much surprised, for we will kill them, and a good many of them, at that height. If I remember right, you told me your gun was a 10 bore, weighed nine and three-quarters pounds, 30 in. bbl; right barrel modified, left full choke. That is just my idea of a gun, except with me a gun for ducks should have both barrels full choked. It cannot shoot too close for ducks. Your shells load with four and a half dms. powder. What kind? It doesn't matter much,—any kind you get from a reliable dealer will satisfy you. Now, don't be in a hurry to load your shells, but use care, for they must be loaded carefully and properly, to expect good results. By the way, here is a shell I had in my pocket the other day, when out targeting my gun. This is the kind you want. You won't have time to load shells this afternoon, so go to the gunsmith's and order enough like this, four and a half dms. powder, one card on powder, two pink-edged No. 9 on that, then another card; next one and one-eighth ozs. No. 6 chilled shot, with card on that; then crimp tightly. That's what I use for ducks. Don't be afraid of chilled shot hurting the inside of the barrels, no fear of that; experiments have been made time and again, and it has been demonstrated beyond a doubt that it does not injure the metal in the least.

"Don't know as I have time. Yet, seeing I am right here, passing your house, will step in for a moment and see what kind of a hunting outfit you have. Good enough! Corduroy all through; coat, vest and pants—