130 THE COMPLETE WILDFOWLER 



fowls in a farmyard with a walking-stick." Who could imagine, 

 in our enlightened age, that such rot could gain publicity? 

 We are inclined to suggest that our worthy author of the 

 paragraph previously cited on punt-gunning should have 

 written more faithfully thus, did he wish to be truthfully 

 correct : "Punt-gunning is a sport I know nothing about. I 

 do know it entails hardships and much skill to kill wild-fowl 

 on open waters with a punt and swivel gun. As for shooting 

 with a punt-gun, I cannot say what it is like, never having 

 fired one ; but I must state, from what I have seen, that the 

 shooting seems easy ; but, furthermore, this always appears so 

 with good performers." Thus stated, his words would have 

 been more healthy and of better value, as then they would 

 not have led anyone into a misunderstanding. 



Some folks imagine they are wildfowlers simply because 

 each year they manage to bag an odd snipe, curlew, teal, 

 mallard, or widgeon. This would not matter if they kept their 

 imagination to themselves ; but, unfortunately, they don't. 

 Some even pose to know all and everything about wildfowling. 

 Here, then, it is we are sorry. We do not wish to say there 

 is no other form of wildfowling in which as much sport can be 

 obtained as in punting. This we leave to individual choice. 

 We would like to recall, however, some of the sayings we 

 have heard expounded by shore-shooters who consider punt- 

 shooting to be simple murder, etc. We do not wish to give 

 any impression of egotism. At the same time, we cannot 

 permit to pass unnoticed the thoughts of many shore-gunners 

 concerning punting. Some of them say punt-shooting is 

 slaughter, because a number of fowl are fired at together ; yet 

 at the same moment they hold that it is legitimate wildfowling 

 to fire at fowl "bunched" even with a shoulder gun. This, 

 then, can be no argument. Of course, our remarks, it need 

 hardly be said, do not refer to shore-shooters who are practical 

 and worthy of their title — men who can call, stalk, hide, and, 



