PASS SHOOTING. 33 ^ 



brought down within gunshot by the shrill yell of one 

 of the gunners or even by a shot fired at them. It is 

 curious to see a dozen of these great birds turn almost 

 completely over at the unexpected sound and dash down 

 toward the water. 



The gunners in this shooting do not make use of any 

 blind, but crouch low on the stones of the bar, keeping 

 motionless and out of sight until the birds are nearly 

 over them. In such shooting I once saw a man cut 

 down two eider ducks out of a flock of coots passing 

 over him. 



Similar to this is the shooting which is practiced in 

 New England on the hills which separate the wide, 

 open waters from some more sheltered bay or lake to 

 which the birds may wish to resort. In quiet weather 

 when the birds do not come in until a long time after 

 dark, this shooting is practiced only at night. But on 

 stormy days the flight of ducks and geese often begins 

 two or three hours before dark, and black ducks, pin- 

 tails and geese may fly from that time until darkness 

 has shut down, and some may be killed. If the wind 

 is from a quarter where the birds are obliged to face it 

 they often fly very low and the shooting is then ex- 

 tremely easy, if their course brings them within range 

 of the gunner. 



If they are shot at night it must be a cloudy night 

 with a moon. On a bright moonlight night the birds 

 cannot be seen unless they pass very near to the gunner, 

 and even then he is likely to have only a glimpse of 



