[Cii.u-. XV, 

 SI VAiiKii. 47 * 48.] 



and start too early in the day. An occasional visit every 

 half liour from these opei'ators to the jheel which they are 

 guarding is better than their constant presence with 

 continuous loud noise. Spectators and persons ready to 

 pick up wounded birds also prowl about the banks, unless 

 prevented. Duck Hying in from the big water where the 

 main slioot is going on see this multitude of interlopers 

 at the water at which they are seeking refuge and, keeping 

 high, give it a wide berth. Control is always difficult 

 and one's arrangements are apt to fall off in the later 

 period when they would be most eflfective and especially 

 on a second day. If sliooting begins, sa^'', at 11 A.M., 

 bombing and similar demonstrations should not start 

 till noon and efforts should he made to keep up such 

 disturbance as late as possible. One or two horsemen 

 roaming round or a very few men advancing to put up 

 the birds and then retiring for a time, to advance again 

 later, are often sufficient. At the small j/ie.eh one or two 

 hardy sportsmen of the kind that are content with less 

 comfort than is provided for the occupants of the butts 

 on the big water will liowever do what is wanted in these 

 danger-zones much better than unintelligent Indian 

 assistants. Enough has been said to show that at any 

 rate ar)-angements should be made to shoot birds where 

 they are likely, and not where they are unlikely, to be. 

 Too much reliance should not be placed on information 

 received from local officials or country people, as both 

 classes are likely to be reticent or misleading in order to 

 avoid trouble to themselves, or to think that what has 

 served one year will necessarily be successful the next. 



48. Nothing is more important than the correct num- Number aud 

 ber and siting of the butts. It is not desirable to put too siting 

 many butts on any lake. There should be enough to ° ^^ *' 

 prevent birds lying up undisturbed for long periods but 

 not so many as to cause such excessive firing that the 

 birds are prevented from trying to approach the butts 

 generally or some ])articnlar ones. It is also unnecessary 

 to say that butts should be placed out of range of each 

 other. It is disturbing, to say the least of it, to have even 

 s[)ent shot pattering down on, or around, one. All butts 

 should be \isited beforehand and any unnecessary ones 

 eliminated. The birds, when disturbed, or even wlien 

 flying of their own free will, will lie found to have, 

 as it were, certain particular roads of their own over 

 a jheei. These roads usually follow a line of cover, for 

 the good reason that Duck by day are exposed to the 

 attacks of all kinds of predatory birds, whom they can 

 escape by seeking the shelter of trees, bruslies, etc., grow- 

 ing in the water. There is no more interesting sight 

 ih.in tliL' b;^haviour by day of the different S[)ecies of duckrf 



IL 



