WITH A STANCHION GUN. 371 



and a white nightcap, to appear the colour of the 

 snow, we floated down among the small pans of white 

 ice that were constantly drifting to leeward ; and, by 

 this means, had a couple in the boat, and another 

 that afterwards dropped dead, just as the other 

 punts were coming up. This circumstance I think 

 it right to mention, in case it should hereafter be 

 found a useful recipe for getting at very wild birds, 

 though it is with reluctance that I become so much the 

 egotist as to introduce any thing that relates to my 

 own performance. In giving further directions about 

 swans, I must observe, that to take a sitting shot you 

 need never be hurried, as these birds can never rise 

 above the level of any swivel-gun till they have beat 

 the water for several yards, in order to get their huge 

 bodies on the wing. To shoot them flying, make all 

 possible haste to row (or if on land, to run) till you 

 get under them, as they fly very low, and will seldom 

 break their course ; and, therefore, may be frequently 

 killed by surrounding them with boats, and having a 

 gunning-punt in advance, ready to fire as they pass. 

 We afterwards got two more of them by this means. 

 Be careful, however, always to let a swan pass you, 

 so as to shoot under his feathers, or you may as well 

 fire at a wool-pack. (This, I believe, I named before, 

 as well as that his head must be your target, if you 

 have only a common gun). If a swan rises out of 

 shot, where he is likely to go entirely away, present 

 your small gun very far before him, and over him, 

 and by thus firing, you will sometimes make him 



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