FLAPPER-SHOOTING. 295 



different haunts of the birds is indispensable. The sports- 

 man must make himself acquainted with their feeding-places, 

 their drinking-places, their resting-places, and in fact with 

 all their habits, at all hours and seasons, and during all 

 changes of the weather : without this knowledge, which can 

 only be acquired by experience and careful observation, the 

 wild-duck shooter will brave the winter's cold and wind in 

 vain. 



A good sportsman, as regards other game, may live for 

 many a long month in a country abounding with ducks 

 without ever seeing one within shot. Continually when I 

 ask people about the wild ducks in any particular neighbour- 

 hood, the answer I get is, " Oh, yes ! there are plenty of 

 ducks, but they always keep out at sea, and never come 

 within reach." Now if there are plenty of ducks put at sea, 

 it is a matter beyond all doubt that at certain hours there 

 are plenty of ducks feeding inland ; and about the time when 

 my informant is dressing for his dinner, the wild ducks are 

 flying to and fro in search of theirs in the stubble-fields, 

 which they invariably do as soon as the sun sets, and the 

 fields are deserted by the workmen and others. 



As no bird is so easily scared from its usual haunts as the 

 wild duck, all long and random shots ought to be avoided, as 

 tending to frighten away the birds and to spoil all chance for 

 some time to come in that spot. Ducks, too, are capricious, 

 and changes of wind and weather induce them to fly in 

 different directions and to feed in different fields ; and, as I 

 have already said, nothing but experience and observation 

 can teach the sportsman how to be tolerably sure of filling 

 his bag with these wary but excellent birds. 



There is one kind of wild-duck shooting which appears to 

 me to be the very lowest of all kinds of sporting, namely, 

 that which is usually called " flapper shooting," which means 

 murdering large numbers of young ducks by dint of dogs, 

 guns, sticks, &c., at a time of the year when nine out of ten 

 of these birds cannot fly, and are utterly helpless and unable 

 to escape. A vast number of half-fledged birds may be 

 slaughtered in this manner, but they are useless when 

 obtained. For my own part I would quite as soon go out 

 to kill young grouse in June or July before they could fly ; 

 nor do I see that killing " flappers " is at all less murderous 

 or more excusable. In fact no wild ducks ought to be killed 

 till they are strong enough on the wing to fly easily and 



