244 THE WILD-FOWLER. 



turbed by the presence of the boat in their place of retreat, and, in 

 great frig'ht at the apparently-threatening danger, make their very 

 first attempt to &y ; when a charge of shot is sent at them, and their 

 untimely flig'ht is stopped. They generally make such a sorry 

 attempt at flying, and present so fair a mark to the wanton shooter, 

 that it would seem impossible to miss them. A dog is generally 

 taken in the boat, in company with the idle adventurers, that a 

 wounded bird may not escape in a bed of rushes, or evade its pur- 

 suers by diving or hiding". 



The time of year for this pursuit is August. Flappers take wing- 

 about the first and second weeks of that month. 



In France, this diversion is termed " halbran-shooting" — a 

 " halbran" signifying a half-grown duck — and, as practised in that 

 country, it is even more derogatory than flapper-shooting in Eng- 

 land. The halbran-shooter first contrives to kill the parent-birds. 

 He then places a tame decoy-duck on the water, securing it by the 

 leg to a stake thrust into the mud, within range of gun-shot. He 

 then hides behind a tree or in other ambuscade, and watches an 

 opportunity, which the halbrans soon aff"ord him, by unsuspectingly 

 approaching the decoy-bird, the incessant noise of which entices them 

 to the spot. Every halbran in the pond may thus be killed in a very 

 short time. 



