y declining to feed
them except at the regular hours, one of which will be timed to suit the
hour it is intended to commence the shoot. Before commencing this
tuition the host will have to select the place from which he wishes the
birds to fly, and also the feeding ground which is the end of their
journey.

Ducks prefer to rest during the day, and are very fond of shade; provide
them, therefore, if possible, with a plantation on some sloping ground
fairly near water, where they can get shelter from sun and wind. I have
found willows excellent for this purpose, as by topping they can always
be kept at the required height. Such a spot will do admirably as
jumping-off place, and here the birds may regularly be expected to rest
after their night's wandering in search of food. The next step is to
select the feeding ground, which should be some little distance from the
spot described; preferably it should be on high ground, so that the
ducks in their flight have to pass over some sort of valley situated
between the two places. In this valley the guns are placed shortly
before the feeding hour, and as that time approaches small detachments
of ducks will wing their way across the valley for their meal, and give
most sporting shots. It is, of course, essential that the resting-place
by day and the feeding ground are not too close together, as if this is
the case many birds hearing the firing close at hand may be scared from
coming to their food.

[Illustration: A RIGHT AND LEFT]

After this the birds may be driven back the reverse way, though
naturally this practice cannot be repeated more than once or twice in
the year, or the birds will be scared away from the feeding ground
altogether.

If the host has a piece of water at right angles to the flight of the
birds many will scatter after passing the guns and settle; and later on
these birds can be driven up and down the water as described in the
first method.

One great advantage of the first stage of this plan is that the birds
mostly fall on dry land and are easily retrieved. If the ground does not
lend itself favourably for high birds the difficulty can be largely
overcome by planting a belt of trees and then placing the guns in the
open a little distance back; birds inclined to break out at the sides
can easily be flagged in.

It is a good plan to run some wire along the slope of the ducks' resting
place, as it facilitates their rising at once, and they get into the