DUCKS 283 



are frequently struck by the shot before they are aware 

 that an enemy is at hand. 



In districts where ducks are much shot at during their 

 flight time these birds become extremely wild, and, 

 naturally, under such conditions the difficulties of the 

 flight-shooter are proportionately increased. Two of 

 the best bags of wild-duck that I know of were obtained 

 in districts where the fowl are continuallly harassed, 

 and they were made by men shooting with extremely 

 heavy guns of large bore. The larger bag, twenty-eight 

 fine mallard, was procured in Yorkshire by a man widely 

 noted for his skill as a flight-shot ; and the circumstance 

 was rendered the more remarkable from the fact that 

 very small shot was used No. 10, it was reported. As 

 the gun carried something like 2\ oz. of this in each 

 barrel, it is not so surprising that ducks well within 

 range could be brought down with such a cloud of 

 shot. 



The smaller bag was procured on one of the small 

 islands off the coast of Essex. A double gun weighing 

 14^ Ib. might well be thought too much of a handful 

 for any ordinary man to wield with success at flight 

 time. But the man who used this extraordinary gun 

 was of herculean build, having a 45 -inch chest with 

 arms and legs in proportion, and no superfluous flesh 

 to encumber his movements. Neither did he stint the 

 charge, for each barrel of this gun threw 3 oz. of shot, 

 with a big dose of powder behind it to send it along. 

 Nineteen ducks were shot on one occasion, fourteen on 

 another, besides many similarly good bags all made 

 under the difficult conditions ever presenting themselves 

 in a locality much shot over. This sturdy flight-shooter, 

 replying to my question as to the larger bag, remarked : 



