262 AMERICAN GAME BIRD SHOOTING. 



When he departs, tlie remainder take their places in the 

 sink-boxes, and remain concealed until the "swimmer" 

 sends anotlier gaggle towards them, or the callers lure a 

 skein from the sky. As soon as these come within range 

 they receive such a warm welcome that many fall to rise 

 no more. After the rest have fled, the gunners exchange 

 ideas, and discourse elocpiently on a ''beautiful double 

 shot," the peculiar manner in which one missed a 

 ''splendid gander," or the amount of shot it took to 

 bring down a fast-flying goose. As soon as the cripf)les 

 have been shot, and picked up by the "swimmer," who 

 remains outside in a boat, the party return to their cof- 

 fins, and continue operations until late in»the evening. 

 This is exceedingly cold and silent work, for, though the 

 icy air may shrivel them up, they cannot speak, or move 

 hand or foot, through fear of being detected by the 

 sharp-sighted birds; even a sneeze is considered detri- 

 mental to success. Eternal silence in the box is the price 

 of geese; hence, waiting for them is both painful and 

 laborious. When the wild-fowlers return home from a 

 good day's work their sufferings are soon forgotten, and 

 they I'emember nothing but the plethoric condition of 

 their bags and the "beautiful shots" they made. 



Shooting geese on an inland lake is totally different from 

 this method, and is, on the whole, the more interesting, as 

 it enables a person to move about and to stamp on the 

 ground when his feet are becoming benumbed with cold. 

 I have heard tales enough, both grave and gay, about 

 goose shooting to fill a volume, but I must be content 

 with relating an adventure of my own which happened 

 in Wisconsin. I was, at the time, stopping at a farm- 

 house, which was situated in one of the most charming 

 sections and best wild-fowl resorts of the State. Wliile 

 sitting near the fire one evening, the son of the farmer, 

 a lad about fourteen years of age, entered, and told me 

 that a pond, a short distance away, was thronged with 



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