CHAPTER IX 

 SHORE-SHOOTING 



Day -Flighting, Calling, and Decoys 



This class of flight-shooting is distinguished from that practised 

 at twilight, night, and dawn by the birds being compelled for 

 some reason to seek fresh quarters. It is usually not a regular 

 habit except under special conditions of weather, and in many 

 cases is due to migration, either local or otherwise. The daily 

 movement of shore-birds as influenced by the tides is perhaps 

 a minor instance of what occurs with wildfowl under circum- 

 stances which have the same effect ; but the flighting of shore- 

 birds to and from their feeding and high-tide resting grounds 

 is so regular that it is not classed as day-flighting, because 

 the shore-shooter meets ordinarily with these flights. Day- 

 flighting is really the shooting of birds moving from one 

 quarter to another for special reasons. Weeks may go over 

 without any day-flighting taking place ; then for days a flight 

 of birds may occur. Shooting of this kind may sometimes be 

 enjoyed on a coast where at ordinary times no sport is to be 

 had. With ducks and geese, day flights are chiefly caused by 

 storms. At such times these birds will fly for days, passing 

 the same spot on the coast in flocks at varying intervals, rang- 

 ing from five minutes to an hour, between each. The sea being 

 rough, ducks cannot rest in comfort. Dreading to shelter in 

 the bays, lest they be shot at, they will fly the coast-line and 

 keep on wing all day, perhaps making long circuitous flights 

 to sea. They invariably head the wind alongshore. After a 

 couple of rough days they become tired, and will then seek 



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