wiLU-rowL suooTiNO.] BY I-'IKLD, WOOD, ASD WATER. [rLiuux-BUuofixo. 



"Wild-fowl shooting being a severe and much- 

 exposed ainusoment, ought not to bo engaged 

 in by young men of a consumptive habit. In- 

 deed, we have heard of many u man possessed of 

 V hat is called an iron constitution, sinking under 

 long-continued exposure to night air, want of 

 Bleep, with, perhaps, a ti)o great indulgence in 

 tippling, to ktiep the cold out. The best means 

 for this is to go out to the sca-shoro in a frosty 

 night, pretty well soaked with warm tea ; it will 

 enable the sportsman to stand longer unin- 

 jured by cold and dam[> tlian anything he can 

 take. AVe have found this to bo true from 

 personal experience, as well as from the testi- 

 mony of others. 



"Wild-fowl shooting can be obtained in al- 

 most every section of the coast of Great Bri- 

 tain and Ireland, and in most of the moun- 

 tainous and moorish districts of both islands. 

 North and South "U^ales present some fine 

 lakes for this kind of shooting; and so like- 

 n-ise do all the lligliland localities of Scotland. 

 The whole coast of this part of Britain ofiers 

 a large field for this sport ; and to one who 

 wishes to enter zealously into it, we would re- 

 commend him to take a tour round the western 

 isles, by the north cape, returning by the east- 

 ern side of the island. In such an excursion 

 he will find sport enough to satisfy the most 

 ravenous appetite. 



In India, wild-fowl shooting is zealously fol- 

 lowed, both by British residents and natives. 

 " The English," says Mr. Pennant, " send out 

 their servants as well as Indians to shoot these 

 wild fowl on their passage. It is in vain to 

 follow them ; they therefore form a row of huts 

 made of boughs, at musket-shot distance from 

 each other, and place them in a line across the 

 parts of the west marshes of the country where 

 the fowl are expected to pass. Each stand is I 

 occupied by a single person ; these, on the j 

 approach of the birds, mimic their cacJcle so 

 well, that they will answer, wheel, and come 

 near the hovel. The sportsman keeps mo- 

 tionless, and on his knees, with his gun cocked, 

 and never fires till he has seen the eyes of the 

 wild fowl. He fires as they are going from 

 him ; then picks up another gun that lies by 

 bim, and discharges that. The fowl killed he 

 sets up on sticks, as if alive, to decoy others ; 

 he also makes artificial birds for the same pur- 

 pose. In a good day (tor they fly in very un- 

 4 a 



certain and unequal numbers), a single Indiaa 

 will kill two hundred. Notwithstanding every 

 kind of wild fowl has a dilfcront call, ytt the 

 Indians arc admirablo in thuir imitation of 

 every one." 



There ia a kind of shooting called jH^ht- 

 shooting, which ia thus spoken of by i\Ir. lilaino. 

 — " The uninitiated in this sport," he says, 

 " without other company than one friend or 

 his servant, may commeuco with this shooting 

 by following these instructions : — By either a 

 punt or canoe, provided you can pitch on a 

 retired spot, not followed up either by tho 

 fishermen or the rabble of tho neighbourhood. 

 In a canoe, either by rowing or pushing your- 

 selves along between tho banks of a creek, 

 being well screened from observation, your 

 chance of success is in tho proportion of your 

 prudence in keeping yourselves completely 

 concealed, and in the dexterity of your manip- 

 ulations, when the fowl begin to arrive in 

 small tribes towards nightfall. Being provided 

 each with a handy duck gun, wait their arrival 

 patiently. Now, as Colonel llawker most de- 

 scriptively expresses it, you will probably soon 

 hear tho whistle of the approaching widgeon, 

 the stormy rush of the dun-birds, tho plaintive 

 notes of the plover, and the shrill sound of tho 

 approach of the wild ducks. It will ofier you 

 more chance of success should the weather bo 

 somewhat boisterous, and still more, if the 

 birds are forced to fly against the wind, which 

 not only makes them fly low, but pretty closely 

 together also. Be particularly careful that 

 nothing you have on can make a glare ; be as 

 still as death, yet watchful as life can mako 

 you; and as the birds, in the flight up tho 

 creek, lower themselves, shoot well forwards — 

 say one or two feet, before their heads, accord- 

 ing to the rate at which they fly. If you can 

 find or even make any screen, one may leave 

 the boat, and wait the flight of a tribe coming 

 on the marsh to feed ; the other may wait his 

 own chance with patience in the boat. This 

 shooting may also bo attempted, and often 

 successfully, when alone, and likewise without 

 a boat, provided you have tho means of con- 

 cealing yourself, whicli will, in all probability, 

 happen, by taking advantage of some of tho 

 deep indentations made by storms, currents, 

 or under the banks of a brook. "Wait patiently 

 in such a situation, and you will be almost 



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