ACUTE SEiVSE OF SiflOLE IX WILD FOWL. 227 



their livelihood, and the nights are sometimes so ex- 

 cessively cold as to oblige them to leave their dogs at 

 home, wliich tliey require to recover the wounded birds. 

 The mode of approaching wild fowl is as follows : — We 

 will suppose a sportsman who is so keen in the pursuit of 

 wild fowl shooting as to hold cheap the inclemency of a 

 winter night, and that he has the fit-out of a good punt, 

 guns, and gear, and has located himself either in Poole 

 Harbour, Dorsetshire, the shores of the Solent Sea, or in 

 some part either in the north of Scotland or Ireland. One 

 of the most essential points in this kind of sport is to 

 make yourself thoroughly master of the ground over 

 which you are to shoot, by ascertaining the creeks, and 

 whether they lead to the higher parts of the groimd, to 

 which all wild fowl will resort at low water, as being the 

 farthest removed from danger. You should also make 

 yourself acquainted with the depth of water, parti- 

 cularly at low water, as this will often save yourself and 

 man much disappointment and fruitless labour. When 

 a " company " of widgeon or a " skein " of geese are 

 observed off the shore, the gunner must, in the first 

 place, consider how they are to be apf)roached. There 

 are one or two things to be observed which are, indeed, 

 essential in order to make a successful shot at these 

 birds. First, I must observe, all fowl have a very keen 

 sense of smelling, and therefore you must never think of 

 going to them with the wind directly behind them, and 

 blowing in the direction of the birds, or you will be 

 sure to make them take flight. You must contrive to 

 have the wind on the starboard or port bow of the boat, 

 and to be propelled in deep water b sculling with an 

 oar, and in shallow water by " setting," — that is, by 

 pushing the boat forward with a sett pole, and on no 



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