SEAFOWL SHOOTING SKETCHES. 67 



ROUGH PARTRIDGE (1877) AND GROUSE SHOOTING (1884) 



On page 375 of the ninth edition of Hawker's " Instructions to 

 Young- Sportsmen," he says, referring- to wildfowl shooting-, 

 " The usual way of sallying- forth for this purpose is to drive to 

 an inn on the coast, call the waiter, who recommends an honest 

 boatman . . . and your day ends with a ten-pound bill, and 

 perhaps bagging- a couple of sea gulls." 



Well, several years ago a party of three of us during a three 

 day's out visited Longton Marsh in the first place, where we 

 were invited to bring some pigeons, which rather mystified us, 

 but when on our arrival we inquired the reason, and were told that 

 it was to insure sport if there was nothing on the marsh, didn't 

 we feel sold? There was nothing to be got, so we tramped to 

 Preston station, and took the last train to Fleetwood. Next 

 day one of the party went home, and the other two shot a sea 

 gull and a sparrow respectively. The following morning we tried 

 Blackpool, which was a blank. I am sure no member of the 

 Order of Oddfellows, to quote my friend the punt gunner, could 

 object to the number of slain. 



I was describing the above magnificent out to a gentleman 

 of my acquaintance a few days subsequently, when he kindly said 

 he could have given us a rough day's partridge shooting if he 

 had known. I at once said it was never too late for a good thing, 

 and the consequence was that a short time after I was off by 

 rail with a letter of introduction for the said shooting, which was 

 not very far from Preston. 



Not having a dog of my own at the time, I borrowed one from 

 an old sportsman, the late Eli Lees, under whose tuition I had 

 learned to shoot jacksnipes. This dog, which rejoiced in the 

 name of " Gam " (game) was an excellent one for snipe, but 

 for any other purpose well, we shall see. On my arrival I was 

 met by a person who seemed to combine the duties of farm 

 labourer and gamekeeper. At any rate, with his long legs, he 

 could get over the ground at a good pace. 



After a good breakfast of ham, bread and butter, and coffee, 

 seasoned with delicious cream, I set out with three men to beat 

 several likely-looking places for hares. One place in particular, 

 a rushy old pit, almost dry. We sent the dog in, but as nothing 

 stirred and the dog came out we turned away, when, to our 

 astonishment, an old hare bounced off and was almost out of 

 range ere I could swing round and fire, which I did and missed. 

 On turning back, we found the dog had been within a yard of 

 the hare's form, but without detecting it. 



