PREFACE 



The substance of the following chapters is based on obser- 

 vations extending over a series of years, and accumulated 

 while serving a long apprenticeship to rod, fowling-piece, and 

 stanchion-gun, by " fell and flood," in the Borderland. 



The use of the plural pronoun is intended to include 

 my uncle, Mr. Gr. E. Crawhall, and my brothers, with whom 

 many of my sporting days have been spent. While freely 

 expressing opinions on sport and cognate subjects, I dis- 

 tinctly disclaim any pretensions to special skill therein, 

 beyond the average : nor are the few narratives of sporting 

 incidents introduced with a view to "blowing my own 

 trumpet," but as the best means of illustrating certain phases 

 of bird-life, and of the practice of wildfowling afloat. Like 

 a finger-post, one may point to a goal which one is never 

 permitted to attain. 



A few of the chapters have appeared (substantially) as 

 articles in The Field, others in the Pall Mall Gazette, and 

 to the editors of those journals I am indebted for the privilege 

 of reproducing them. To Mr. Howard Saunders, for his 

 extreme good-nature in revising the proof sheets, and in- 

 valuable advice thereon, I owe no small debt of gratitude. 



The illustrations — rough pen-and-ink drawings by the 

 author, reproduced by photo-zincography — are intended to 

 serve as character- sketches rather than as portraits, and have 

 no pretensions either to scientific accuracy or artistic merit. 



What I venture to claim for this book is that, so far as 

 it goes, it traces, throughout the year, the life-histories 

 of many of the most valuable and interesting birds — and. 



