160 SHOOTING THE GOOSE 



being too thickly clad with close-lying feathers to 

 permit the shot to readily penetrate the flesh. The 

 speed at which geese travel is very deceptive, and 

 is often underestimated by inexperienced gunners. 

 Conscious of the extraordinary celerity of their flight, 

 it thus behoves the gunner to hold well forward if 

 the work is to be done cleanly and scientifically. 

 Many fowlers use 8- or lo-bore guns for goose- 

 shooting, some guns even larger in calibre, and more 

 unwieldy; but, in capable hands, a stout, well-built 

 i2-bore gun, with a suitable charge of, say, BB or 

 No. i shot loaded in brass cases, should do consider- 

 able execution. 



There are many beautiful and interesting sights 

 which the goose-shooter may witness when in search 

 of these fine birds, but none I think can be more 

 striking than that which he will sometimes see when 

 several large ' skeins ' of grey geese are in the act of 

 descending from a great height to pitch. The velo- 

 city attained, aided, no doubt, by gravity, the wonder- 

 ful aerial manoeuvres, the sidelong shoots downward 

 with partly-closed wings, when the birds literally 

 whizz through the air, will fill the spectator with 

 astonishment. In his 'Wild-Fowler in Scotland,' 

 Mr. J. G. Millais has admirably depicted this trait 

 in goose-life. 



