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CHAPTEE VII. 



SHORE AND INLAND WATER SHOOTING. 



By J. Newbeery. 



VIZHEN the almost unrivalled opportunities afforded by the Hangchow Ba)' and its sur- 

 " roundings for indulgence in this fascinating branch of the fowler's craft are considered, 

 a feeling of surprise, tinged with regret, must steal over one that no sportsman has yet 

 come forward to show what possibilities there are in this direction. It would be almost 

 impossible to imagine a finer feeding ground for wild fowl than that portion of the northern 

 margin of the bay which extends from the city of Changsha to the Wongdahien promontory, 

 a distance of nearly lOO miles, or a more likely place for successful flight shooting than the 

 inner bank of the great sea wall which keeps back the waters of the bay. The region is easy 

 of access by house-boat at a dozen different places; the sport would not entail such hard 

 work as it does in other parts of the world, while the enormous quantity of fowl that flight 

 in of an evening lead to the reasonable conclusion that the sportsman would occasionally 

 be well rewarded. It is not suggested that the gun should give up his game shooting 

 altogether, but that he might with profit and pleasure divert some little attention to the art 

 of circumventing the wary wild fowl. The foreshore, too, for its whole length is an ideal 

 place whence to shoot from blinds, with decoys, while the innumerable inland waters afford 

 every opportunity for the successful use of the battery or sink-box. 



Battery or sink-box wild fowl shooting is brought into successful use where ducks, 

 geese or swan "bed" or "roost" in large flocks, generally in the centre of inland lakes, 

 thus making it impossible to find sufficient natural cover to hide either man or boat. These 

 bedding places are usually from 2 to 7 feet of water in depth, but only teal, widgeon, pintail, 

 blue bill and mandarin duck can feed in water deeper than the length of their neck and the half 

 of their body. The latter-named fowl dive and bring up grass in from 6 to 12 feet of water. 

 The swan, goose, black duck and mallard have their feeding grounds always in less than 

 2 feet of water, and the reason they are found bedding in large flocks in deeper places is for 

 the purpose of sleep, rest and security. They do their feeding at night. 



To reach these "chappies" the following articles are required: — 

 Sink-box and float ; 

 2 anchors and chains, or ropes; 

 100 decoys (wooden) ; 

 6 decoys (cast-iron, weighing about I2-Ibs. each). 



