WILD-GOOSE SHOOTING 175 



will sometimes give the best results, because scattered 

 groups of geese seldom rise in a cluster. I remember 

 on one occasion obtaining a fine shot of forty-three 

 brent out of a gaggle of two or three hundred, which 

 were sitting in extended formation along the edge of 

 the mudbanks. As I glanced along my gun barrel, 

 and saw the forest of necks in front of me, the temp- 

 tation to take them sitting was irresistible, and being 

 in a position to shoot up the line I considered I was 

 justified in doing so. 



A flying shot at brent necessitates careful 

 ' timing.' One second too soon or too late in 

 pulling the trigger may make all the difference be- 

 tween a heavy shot and a comparatively poor one. 

 It is, however, by no means a simple matter to aim 

 and fire a punt-gun exactly at the right spot and at 

 the right moment, and errors of judgment in this 

 respect are not uncommon even among old and 

 experienced gunners. Brent are tough birds, and 

 need a heavier blow to drop them than widgeon or 

 ducks, so it is customary to use shot rather larger in 

 size and heavier for the purpose. Generally speaking 

 I have found the most serviceable load for geese con- 

 tains from thirty to forty pellets to the ounce, which 

 corresponds very nearly with AAAA shot manufactured 

 by Messrs. Walker & Parker. Some fowlers use SSSG 



