24 GAME AND ITS PROTECTION. 
and often brings upon the criminal detection and 
punishment. To avoid this the pivot-shooter will 
sometimes, as soon as he has fired, throw his gun 
overboard with a buoy attached to it, and if pur- 
sued, pretend he has used nothing but his small 
fowling-piece. The practice of pivot-shooting, how- 
ever, has almost ceased, never having been exten- 
sively adopted; and has nothing whatever sports- 
manlike about it, being a mixture of cruelty and 
theft. 
Another mode of pursuing ducks, which is at the 
same time attractive, exciting, and injurious, is by 
the use of a sail-boat. Not only is there the ex- 
citement of the pursuit, the rushing down wind 
with bellying sail and hissing water—the crested 
waves parting at the prow and lengthening out 
behind in two long lines of foam—but there is the 
free motion and the pleasant breeze to stimulate 
the sportsman. This is really a delightful sport, 
combining the excitement of shooting with the ex- 
hilaration of sailing ; but as it disturbs the flocks 
upon their feeding-grounds, as it gives them no rest 
during the noontide hours, when it appears that 
ducks—like all other sensible people—love to in- 
dulge in a quiet nap, it eventually drives them 
away ; and not only makes them shy of the locality, 
but injures the sport of the point-shooter, who de- 
pends upon their regular flights for his success. It 
is not often very remunerative, but is uncommonly 
attractive, and is only condemned with great re- 
luctance on proof of its injurious results. 
