THE LAW AS IT AFFECTS WILDFOWLERS - 53 
This, however, does not apply to a person genuinely sporting 
on his own land which may adjoin a decoy. Even a person 
on a tidal river, shooting at wildfowl for sport or profit so near 
a decoy as to drive out the wildfowl in it, is liable to an action 
for wilful disturbance and damage to a decoy. These cases 
are established upon the ground that one is damaging or dis- 
turbing the trade of another. 
Now as regards matters which directly affect the shore- 
shooter. We readily see that, unless a person has a right to pre- 
vent people from shooting on a foreshore, he cannot legally do 
so. In setting up the proof of rights a case is placed beyond 
the jurisdiction of local magistrates, and therefore must in the 
first instance be dismissed. As for the right to shoot on a 
foreshore belonging to the public, there is no such thing, but 
the prevention of the public from using such foreshores must 
be set against and maintained by persons having a legal right 
todo so. Since the ordinary owners and tenants of private 
lands adjoining foreshores have no more power than the 
ordinary man in the street, they cannot prevent people from 
using the foreshores, except, of course, where Crown grants 
exist. 
Thus, while the public may have no legal right on a fore- 
shore, it is possible that no one else possesses the legal right to 
prevent the public using the foreshore; consequently, the 
ground—for ordinary sporting purposes, at least—is used 
by all. : 
County Councils, it must be remembered, can obtain 
certain powers over foreshores within their area. Orders can 
be made by County Councils regulating the use of foreshores 
by the public. These orders are never made without reason- 
able foundation, and are issued for the welfare of the com- 
munity in general. 
River Commissioners can also claim certain powers over 
land under their control, and any rights they possess they can 
