SEAFOVVL SHOOTING SKETCHES. 13 



At three the following- morning- we took a long- walk up the 

 river bank, keeping- close to the railway line. H. shot a green 

 plover, while R. and self bagged a couple of birds each. 



Afternoon, near the railway bridge, R. got a curlew and 

 I a sandpiper or two. In the evening we took our stand at the 

 foot of the railway embankment, when scores of curlews flew 

 over, but all at a great height. We fired many shots, but did not 

 get anything. 



I am convinced that if we had been using four-bores instead of 

 twelves we could have done very well indeed. Just as we were giv- 

 ing up, R. said he had seen a curlew drop on the other side as if 

 killed. We, however, went into Conway for some refreshment, 

 paying a trifle for crossing the suspension bridge, but on our 

 return R. said he would look for the curlew. He accordingly 

 jumped over the wall, and very soon found the bird, much to 

 rny surprise, as it was now quite dark, being dusk when we shot 

 it. 



The next day we went to the same place, when the curlews came 

 over on their return journey, this time flying up the river. I shot 

 a curlew, which a man retrieved for 6d., and a rook or two, and 

 a curlew dropped to joint shot of R. and self. As it fell he called 

 out (not having seen I had fired), " I've shot a curlew, and 

 blown its head off." Whether it was the result of the two 

 barrels or whether it was beheaded by the telegraph wires we 

 could not tell, but without a head it certainly was ! R. shot a 

 couple more birds, and H. and self brought a kittiwake down 

 between us. 



Afternoon we went in a boat and R. got three birds, while I 

 did not get anything. We were out again in the evening, 

 when I shot a ring plover and H. a rabbit. We were on the em- 

 bankment for a short time, but owing to a slight mischance 

 occurring to R., we deemed it advisable to give up for the night. 



The next day, being our last, we were pretty early at the flight- 

 ing-point. I had a great desire to get a cormorant to my own 

 gun, and I was at length successful. R. had dropped a bird on 

 the marsh, and had gone a long way round to retrieve it, when 

 I saw a couple of cormorants flying towards me. I crouched 

 behind the wall, and as the birds passed over I aimed at the 

 first, when the second gradually closed its wings, gracefully 

 dropped on the marsh, and commenced to run. How to get it 

 was the difficulty, when, fortunately, a man, pulling up the river 

 in a small boat, observed my dilemma. He rowed to the side, 

 anchored, and set off in pursuit, armed with a boat-hook. After 

 a lot of trouble, he managed to secure it, as well as the bird shot 

 by R. I went to the foot of the embankment to meet him, and 

 by each placing one of our feet on a stone, he managed to pass 



