PAEA.. 2.1 



than on those going vice-versa. Remember now this 

 old vice therefore and any others that you may possess, 

 but, like the good Christian assured of sahation, put 

 such thouglits from you later and do your actual shoot- 

 ing with an untroubled mind. 



Ah! You hear a distant "pop, pop." Now the fun 

 is going to begin. Up sails a big flock, Mallard from 

 the heavy build and the green heads and white-collared 

 necks of the males, but they are not in range. Perhaps 

 they saw you, so you crouch lower in your butt. 



Whooi^h. Another flight. Common Teal this time, 

 is on you before you quite realise it and you loose off 

 an ineffecti\e two barrels. The profane man here works 

 off steam with an useful expletive or two. Whichever 

 way yoa are made, you realise that this wants looking 

 into. Something else comes along, what kind of 

 bird you are too anxious even to make out. You 

 think it is just within range and you fire again as 

 the flock sees you and wheels away. Not a bird falls, 

 though one flinched distinctly. You flatter yourself 

 that this was a little better. Actually you know that you 

 were behind and that the deviation of the bird was 

 probably due to air displacement and not to a hit. 

 It does take a bit of getting into. And then, jast when 

 you were beginning to feel a little unhappy, you take 

 an incomer with exactly the right amount of lead, and, 

 as he falls not too far behind you, you realise you 

 have made a beginning. The guns all round are hard 

 at it. and the birds come in at all angles and with a 

 fine turn of speed. The pace of winged things is often 

 much exaggerated. The point is discussed in con- 

 siderable detail in Chapter IX. A recognised old-time 

 authority says of Mallard. "Their rate of flights pro- 

 bably 100 miles per hour." But what were his data ? 

 An ornithologist, who studied the subject in connection 

 with anti-aircraft duties during the War, thinks that 

 "/or a ahort. distancp, the swift" (the fastest, probably, 

 bar none, of all birds) ^' can reach a speed of 100 miles 

 per hour." Well, be the pace of the birds what it may 

 today, they are going quite fast enough for you. But 

 you are beginning to swing to it, and your bag is creep- 

 ing up. The loader, despite Indian ideas of the Evil 

 Eye, is keeping count, and you cheer up at what he 

 reports. Don't try and keep eyes in both sides of your 

 head. The man, even if he has two guns going foi- you, 

 will face in the other direction and warn you of birds 

 coming up behind, so that you can keep your undivided 

 attention on your front. Now you get three, four, and 

 even five consecutive hits and are beginning to fancy 



