l6o ON THE WING. 



flight. They prune themselves on the sand-bars, and 

 also fill their crops with sand ; which last operation is 

 called "taking in ballast." Having rested themselves, 

 pruned their feathers into good order and taken in bal- 

 last, they rise from the bars in a spiral flight, called 

 towering up, until they reach a great altitude, when 

 they strike off in a direct line for Prince Edward Island, 

 Labrador, and other stopping-places. 



The manner of shooting brant usually adopted on 

 Cape Cod, is this : — 



Sportsmen at the beginning of the season build on 

 the shore a sort of shanty large enough to accommo- 

 date some eight persons, in which they live while pur- 

 suing their avocation. 



At some little distance from the hut, and near the 

 water, as it rises at high tide, they dig out a hole in 

 the sand large enough to set in, just below the surface, 

 a good-sized wooden shooting-box capable of holding 

 three shooters. At easy shooting distance from this 

 box they build up a sand-bar with barrows and shovels 

 a little higher than the level of the beach. On this 

 bar the sportsmen place some live brant decoys se- 

 curely fastened by cords. 



When the tide comes in, the brant come in with it 

 for the purpose of pruning themselves on the shore. 

 The sand around this extemporized bar being covered 

 with water by the rise of the tide, the bar itself is left 

 above the water and presents an inviting place for the 

 fowl to congregate, and the brant, seeing the decoys 

 sitting safely upon it, eagerly swim to and mount 

 alongside them. Then the three sportsmen in the 



