WILD-FOWL SHOOTING. 153 



POINT SHOOTING. 



"The really sportsmanlike way of killing canvas- 

 backs is for the shooter to station himself on some 

 one of the many points or bars along the bay-shore or 

 its tributaries that the ducks fly over in their course to 

 and from their feeding-grounds. Much depends, in 

 this kind of shooting, upon the disposition of the ele- 

 ments ; for neither pleasure nor success can be rea- 

 sonably expected if the weather is intensely cold or 

 the wind blowing fresh from a quarter that carries the 

 ducks off from the point rather than on it. 



" On the other hand, if the wind and weather prove 

 favorable and the ducks are flying briskly, there is not 

 a more delightful way of enjoying one's self than in 

 point-shooting. Great skill and judgment are requi- 

 site to strike the ducks ; and when thus suddenly 

 stopped in their rapid course, they present a beautiful 

 sight as they come tumbling down with a heavy plash 

 from a height of one, two, or even three, hundred 

 feet. 



" It is this kind of duck-shooting that either displays 

 the ignorance or dexterity of the sportsman ; for, 

 without long practice in this particular branch, the 

 best general shooter in the country would appear to 

 little advantage alongside even of an indifferent 

 ducker." 



