SHOOTING THE DUCK AT SEA 49 



different from what they were a couple of generations 

 ago. They have been educated with a vengeance. 

 Far better, if the gunner's pocket will stand it, than 

 land quarters, is to make a home of a sufficiently 

 roomy roomy enough for himself, his man, and a 

 boy sailing craft, of as light draft as is consistent 

 with safety. Much weary trudging, and waiting, and 

 shivering in the punt is avoided by the gunner who 

 makes his quarters afloat ; while, besides this, he can 

 move up and down the coast, according to circum- 

 stances. 



A thorough and extensive knowledge of his 

 locality is necessary before the gunner can hope to 

 do the best that is to be done there. He must know 

 just at what time the different feeding-grounds are 

 covered, whether there will be water enough to float 

 him up to a certain bank at a certain state of the 

 tide when approached from a certain point, and so 

 on. All this makes an immense amount of difference 

 to his prospects of sport, for the fowler who knows 

 fevery yard of his beat knows also not only where 

 birds are likely to be found, but also just the time 

 when he ought to be on the spot. It is an extremely 

 good plan to build up from day to day a map, on a 

 large scale, outlining all the higher grounds of the 

 shore embraced in his range, filling in as they become 



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