152 KRIDER'S SPORTING ANECDOTES. 



man shooting the instant the gun touches his 

 shoulder, and invariably riddling his bird. At 

 length while the skiff is still traversing the high 

 reeds, the batteau enters a space of about a half 

 an acre, covered with a species of water-weed 

 bearing a profusion of yellow now r ers. There is 

 just water enough upon it to float the batteau 

 easily, so well has the pusher hit his time. The 

 boat first takes the edges of the space in a wide, 

 circling sweep. Not a bird rises. " Bad show, 

 Dennis," says the sportsman. But Dennis knows 

 better, and still continuing his course but con- 

 tracting its circle, the rail at last begin to show 

 themselves. Three are killed successively, and 

 two more the instant after. " Let them lie," 

 says the old stager, waxing warm and plying his 

 pole like lightening; "kill them dead, sir, and 

 they won't move." The game now rise so fast 

 from among these yellow flowers, that the 

 shooter's dexterity in loading comes first into 

 play, and, it must be acknowledged, he shows 

 himself an adept. Sixteen birds are down at 

 one time, and being killed according to the 

 pusher's instructions, he does not lose a feather. 

 In this comparatively small space of the marsh, 

 thirty-six birds are boated, not a rail being 

 missed, or pinioned, or escaping Welsh's sharp 

 eves after b?inir knocked down. 



