CHAPTER LIII. 



FLIGHT SHOOTING, 



" Vainly the fowler's eye 

 Might mark thy distant flight to do thee wrong ; 

 As darkly painted on the crimson slry 

 Thy figure floats along." 



W. C. Bryant. 



The term "flight-shooting" signifies shooting wild-fowl at evening 

 twilight, as they fly overland from the sea, or from rivers, lakes, or 

 decoys which they use by day, to marshes, moors, or fens where they 

 feed by night ; and again the sport may be resumed at morning twi- 

 light, as the birds return from their feeding- haunts to their places of 

 daily resort,* 



The flight-shooter waits in ambush behind an embankment, a 

 hedge, sea-wall, or any temporary screen thrown up in the track of 

 flight usually taken by the wild-fowl as they fly to and fro, morning 

 and night 5 or he may conceal himself in a boat, up a creek or rill in 

 some large river, and indeed anywhere in their track. Wild-fowl 

 generally follow the main current or channel of large rivers as far as 

 it goes, flying very low all the while until approaching land, when 

 they immediately rise higher in the air. 



From some such place of concealment the flight-shooter keeps a sharp 

 look-out, about the space of an hour and a-half, or so long as twi- 

 light lasts. He must be very expert at handling his gun, and ever 

 watchful, or his attempts will be fruitless. Wild-fowl move very rapidly 

 through the air at flight time, but generally low enough to be 

 brought down by a dexterous sportsman, even with a small short 

 gun. The tyro will be sorely puzzled at first, as trip after trip passes 

 over his head in rapid succession : no shooting is more difiicult than 

 this, and none requires a keener eye or greater dexterity. The sports- 



* In some parts of America this sport is termed " Slaking." — Vide Krider's 

 Spr)rting Anecdotes ; hy H.M. Klafip. 1853. 



