366 SHOOTING CUltRES 



or flying ; as in the one position their feathers would 

 be closed, and in the other the birds would be much 

 more scattered, than when down. The curres, dun- 

 birds, &c., will generally give notice likewise. The 

 ducks and wigeon not near so well; and the teal 

 spring instantly, without giving the least notice ; so 

 that in shooting the latter birds, fire as soon as you 

 think you can make a tolerable shot. Always, how- 

 ever, get as near as you can. Rely on it, close 

 quarters is the grand recipe for filling the bag, at 

 this, and all other shooting. You must remember 

 too that the sea, or any water, with a large flock of 

 birds on it, deceives you extremely; insomuch that 

 what many people fancy fifty , proves to be above a 

 hundred yards. Take a novice afloat, and the first 

 specimen he gives you of his ignorance in the art, is 

 either to fire himself, or endeavour to persuade you 

 to fire, at birds which are very far out of gunshot. 



CURRES. We will now make a few short ob- 

 servations on the birds usually killed in this way. I 

 will begin with the " curres" (a provincial term for 

 all the various tribe of diving ducks), as they appear 

 about October. These birds, when accustomed to 

 the skirmishers of the coast, are generally worse to 

 get at than any others ; and you have then often no 

 other alternative than paddling up a winding creek, 

 so as to suddenly pop on them in turning a corner, 

 and fire either sitting or just as they fly up. But 

 when curres are, by frost, just driven to the coast 

 from under the kind protection of some bird fancier's 



