344 THE FOWLER IN IRELAND. 



tides, winds, weather ; the habits of the birds, and 

 many other important points that needs be learnt. 

 Were it not for this, it would resemble American 

 duck-shooting, where the sportsman merely squats 

 in a floating box and kills fowl by the score as 

 they fly to his wooden decoys, or pass near him. 

 In fact, instead of the shooter seeking the birds, 

 they seek him, a very indifferent method of 

 shooting duck, though a very simple one, little 

 trouble, and devoid of exercise and skill, except 

 the necessary power of aiming fairly well. 



Fowling in perfection, though the birds be 

 unpreserved, is no poor man's amusement the 

 accessories are too expensive. There is no sport, 

 however, that game-shooters are more ignorant of, 

 a common remark being, " What a large gun ! you 

 must kill a great number of duck with such a 

 weapon. If I had a gun and punt like yours, I 

 could shoot hundreds. I never saw wildfowl so 

 numerous as they are off my part of the coast," and 

 so forth ; the idea being that the only requirements 

 to obtain such " hundreds " consist of a gun and 

 punt, to float gaily away from shore before admiring 

 friends, shortly to return well laden, to distribute 

 the spoil by the dozen ! How little do such folks 

 know or understand the care and knowledge requisite 

 to ensure even partial success, and a hundred other 

 matters not even guessed at, ere the end is achieved 

 the hours, I may say years, of apprenticeship that 

 will have to be passed in the lonely estuaries by day 

 as well as by night, wet and dry, warm and cold, 

 in frost and snow, ere they could rank as skilful 

 shooters ! As little can they realize the triumph of 



