248 'DUCK SHOOTING. 



of accident, and while I have known of ten being killed 

 in a day, at a goose box, I have also known of whole 

 seasons to elapse without a single shot being had by 

 men who were devoting themselves to duck and goose 

 shooting. 



It is well for the duck shooter to carry with him, 

 besides the cartridges of B or BB shot, with which 

 he will provide himself, on the chance of getting a shot 

 at a flock of geese, a few cartridges of T or OO buck- 

 shot, for long shots at swans. 



Although swans are such large birds, and rise with 

 difficulty from the water, they nevertheless fly with 

 great swiftness, and the gunner must recollect this, and 

 must shoot well ahead of them. If the swans are fly- 

 ing against the wind, he should aim at the bird's head, 

 remembering that a single pellet striking a swan in the 

 neck is quite as likely to be effective in bringing it down 

 as two or three shots which may strike it in the body. 

 If, however, the bird is flying down wind, and high up 

 in the air, the gun should be held somewhat in advance 

 of the point of the bill. Allowance must always be 

 made for the great size of the bird. It would seem to 

 the novice as if a mark such as this could scarcely be 

 missed, but this very size and the swiftness of the 

 bird's flight are likely to deceive. 



As swans are usually shot overhead, they sometimes 

 fall almost in the gunner's blind, or, at all events, very 

 close to him. It is an impressive sight to see one of 

 these great birds, struck with a fatal charge, come tum- 

 bling to the earth. Its great size, its broad expanse of 



