SEAFOWL SHOOTING SKETCHES. 59 



DIVER SHOOTING AT FLEETVVOOD (1893). 



On the 2nd November, I went over to spend a couple of days 

 with my friend Buckley, of St. Bernards-on-Sea, as the familiar 

 Knott End is now more euphoniously termed. In the afternoon 

 my friend drove us to Stalmine, and we tried a lot of ground, 

 but it was almost dusk, and our bag" was very small a water 

 hen and a rabbit only. 



Next day B. proposed we sTiould try diver shooting 1 , and to 

 this I cordially assented. Provided with refreshment in the shape 

 of meat pies and whisky, we walked down to the ferry slip, and 

 engaged a man and large open boat fitted with a lug" sail to take 

 us "outside." There was plenty of wind, but no rain, so we 

 settled down for a comfortable sail. B.'s weapon was a double 

 pin fire ID'S gauge, and mine a double central i2's. Our shot 

 was principally No. 4'$, with plenty of powder behind it. 



For some time there was very little prospect of sport. There 

 were very few divers to be seen, and these were on the wing- a 

 bad sign and at a great distance. We had got past the light- 

 house before we saw anything in range, and then began opera- 

 tions by missing a gull. 



In the meantime the water had got very rough, and as we 

 tacked about looking for birds the way the seas came aboard was 

 lively, to say the least of it. The first time I got one in the face, 

 which trickled down my breast and out at my bbots, I involun- 

 tarily gasped, but after a while became quite reconciled to it. It 

 was impossible to stick on the seats and shoot, so I comfortably 

 sat down on the ceiling amidships, where I could keep a look-out 

 on the lee side. Of course, we were now so wet it didn't matter 

 where we sat. 



At last a diver was seen on the water, and the boatman took 

 us nicely up to it, when B. promptly despatched a charge of shot 

 to its address. But the bird was up to it, or I should rather say, 

 down upon it, for it dived and didn't come up for some time. Then 

 after another tack, I got a shot at it, but without apparent result, 

 but B. poured another barrel into it, and that settled it. 



It was a difficult matter to aim at all, what with the pitching of 

 the boat, and the rising and falling of the bird on the water. 



After cruising about for some time, another diver was sighted, 

 and shot by B., whilst I despatched an ivory gull which came to 

 inspect the proceedings. Then I got a lot of shooting, dropping 

 half a dozen more birds, mostly of the same species. B.'s gun 

 having the empty cartridge cases fast in both chambers, I had 



