332 WILDFOWL SHOOTING, 



appear like the indistinct view of an island; and, on 

 getting near, it will look more and more black, till, at 

 last, you will plainly distinguish the shape of the out- 

 side hirds. Now, then, is the critical moment to decide 

 whether your exertions are to be crowned with success, 

 or a severe night's hard labour is to end without your 

 getting a shot. Perhaps, unless you have a " good 

 loom" (that is, high black land) to advance from, the 

 moon may suddenly come forth too bright for this sport. 

 Perhaps some straggling bird may be so near you as to 

 give the alarm ; or perhaps some fellow may ruin all by 

 firing a shot ; and you may have the mortification to 

 hear the sonorous host rising, like a roar of thunder, to 

 take their departure for the open sea. 



On the other hand, you and your boatman may have 

 the good fortune to open your masked battery among 

 their black columns ; and, by cutting a lane through 

 them with a pound of the smallest duck shot, you may 

 possibly secure 50 or 60 tcildfowl as fast as yourselves 

 and a dog can collect them. I formerly recommended 

 the addition of discharging also two large hand-guns ; 

 but it so rarely occurs that we can sufficiently see 

 through the smoke to fire them in time, that I have 

 latterly considered them not worth taking out, except 

 for shooting at low water. (As a proof of what may be 

 killed at one shot when birds are wedged together, I 

 need only say that, on the 9th of January, 1825, my man, 

 James Read, when sent to reconnoitre the creeks about 

 two o'clock in the morning, killed and fairly bagged 

 12 wigeon, 5 ducks and mallards, 2 pintails, and a gray 

 plover, with a common shoulder gun, that cairied only 

 5 ounces of shot. This, however, is such a shot, with 

 a small gun, as I never heard of before, and perhaps 



