12 SEAFOWL SHOOTING SKETCHES. 



when, behold, it disgorged a flounder the breadth of one's 

 hand ! Its throat was now limp enough, and there was a hearty 

 laugh at my expense. 



We crossed the railway and arrived at our lodgings in due 

 course. Whilst supper was preparing, H. went out, and soon 

 returned with a rabbit he had bagged. We were out very early 

 the next morning, and walked up the bank. I got two rooks, and 

 that was all we did. 



After breakfast we engaged a boat, from which we endeavoured 

 to do some kebbing for flounders. However, as all we caught 

 was a couple of crabs, we soon gave it up. We saw immense 

 flocks of various kinds of birds, mostly out of range. R. dropped 

 a rook, and I shot a common tern ; then we agreed to land, and 

 try to stalk some of the flocks. I got down on my stomach on 

 the sandbank, and crawled towards a lot of black-backed gulls. 

 When I was about 40 yards off they rose ; I got on my knees, 

 singled out a couple of the biggest, and dropped them right and 

 left. They fell in the water, and how to get them was the ques- 

 tion, as they were rapidly drifting away from the shore. In half 

 a minute I was minus boots, socks, and unmentionables, and 

 after them in the water. But it was no use ; it was too deep, 

 and I had to leave them ; or, rather, they left me. They would 

 have made a grand pair stuffed. 



Resuming my garments, I proceeded to the boat, getting an 

 odd stint by the way. We took to the boat again, and did a lot of 

 shooting, but very little killing. I joined H. at a curlew which 

 we picked up. He also secured an oyster-catcher at an enormous 

 distance. I think the tallow cartridge did it ; but the recoil of 

 his gun was something awful, his arm was quite discoloured. In 

 the afternoon we went after some rabbits, when I bagged two, 

 and the others one each. 



The way I went about it was as follows : It was a blazing hot 

 day, and I sat down on a slightly elevated part of the ground at 

 some distance from my companions, charged my gun, placed it 

 carefully by my side, got out my glass, focussed it, and laid it 

 near the gun, pulled out a briar-root pipe, lit it, and again 

 picked up the glass and carefully surveyed the ground, which 

 was completely covered with gorse, until I could see the ears of 

 a rabbit standing up like withered leaves. Then I would keep 

 my eyes on the spot while I got the gun up, aimed a little below 

 the ears, and there would be a bunny the less. 



Once on the same ground I picked up two rabbits after a 

 shot, one of which, being only wounded, in my haste to gather 

 it, I fell over, and got a lot of spines from the gorse imbedded 

 in my hand. It was several days before I succeeded in extract- 

 ing them all. 



