PROFESSIONAL FOWLERS. 349 



and your good reputation will increase daily. The 

 professional shore-shooters will become your allies 

 to a man ; they will retrieve your landward cripples 

 instead of purloining them, and assist you all they 

 can in the sport. Should you, however, unwisely 

 take a high hand, declare the fowl are equal to all, 

 and each must get what he can, look sharply after 

 the cripples when they drift ashore, and share with 

 none, then your sport will very soon result in loss 

 and vexation. As they are with a shooter if 

 popular, so will every man's hand be against him 

 if otherwise. 



Now from this it will be seen that though fowl 

 may abound in certain places, such spots would 

 never suit the professional shooter, who kills his 

 birds to make a living, and who, with the best 

 intentions, cannot afford to be generous. Add to this 

 the want of a market for the disposal of more than 

 a few fowl, and the absence of monied sportsmen, 

 his gains would be small. In such localities a large 

 safe punt to carry two men is indispensable, and 

 without this it is not safe to follow birds out at sea. 

 On calm days, perhaps three or four miles from 

 land, the fowl will sit in dense companies. The 

 largest of guns is then a necessity ; but one 

 such chance may occur in a week. Then the 

 more birds obtained at a shot the better ; with a 

 small gun it is so many fowl thrown away. When 

 these heavy shots are made, a stout, well-manned 

 following boat is imperative to assist in collecting 

 the cripples, or many would be lost. This boat 

 must be a safe and strong craft, able to take gun, 

 gear and men on board, and to tow all to a place of 



