44 SHOOTING THE DUCK 



in readiness to fire the instant the fowl raise their 

 heads. A delay of a second here may mean the 

 difference between a good shot and a very poor one, 

 or, perhaps, a clean miss. The birds spring upwards 

 at the discharge, and their wings are open or opening 

 when the shot reaches them. It is interesting to 

 note, by the way, that, when it acted perfectly, the 

 old flint-lock gun was a better gun on sitting fowl 

 than is the modern breech-loader or percussion 

 muzzle-loader, pattern and penetration being equal ; 

 the greater delay between the fall of the hammer and 

 the passage of the shot from the muzzle meant that 

 the birds, springing at the flash, met the shot when 

 they were well off the water and had their wings fully 

 extended. Many of these old guns were 2-in. 

 bores or thereabouts, 10 feet in the barrel, and of 

 enormous weight, such weight that it required two 

 or three men to work them. A shot should never 

 be taken at fowl this does not apply to teal 

 when they are sitting quietly and unaware of the 

 presence of the punt, for if this is done their wings 

 and feathers will be lying close at the time of the 

 impact of the pellets. On the other hand, let the 

 gunner, having reached ideal range, keep his aim 

 true, tap gently with his foot on the floor of the punt, 

 and fire as the birds raise their heads. It is not 



