CHAPTER X 



SHOOTING WILD DUCKS AND GEESE WITH 

 THE CAMERA 



THE clock in the big club-room had just struck 

 eight, the hour when all the members and guests of 

 the . . . Shooting Club were wont to foregather and 

 draw for blinds and men to pole their canoes. On 

 the selection of a good blind must usually depend 

 the day's sport, and a satisfactory man adds not a 

 little to one's comfort and pleasure. As a guest 

 I was to draw in my turn, when one of the 

 members remarked that " any blind would be good 

 enough for me, as I was only going to photograph, 

 while the others intended to shoot." 



This was the point of view of probably most of 

 the veteran sportsmen present. They failed to see 

 how it mattered whether I had opportunities to 

 photograph the ducks or not, while it was of the 

 utmost importance that those who used the gun 

 should have the surest chance of killing the limit. 

 I do not mention this as a criticism, but simply to 

 show how little idea these men had of the sporting 

 possibilities which the camera offers to the hunter. 

 For to hunt with a camera requires infinitely more 

 skill than shooting with a gun, and the number of 

 successful photographic shots must inevitably be 

 very much smaller. A keenness and alertness 

 undreamed of by those who shoot is absolutely 



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