192 The Amateur Poacher. 



of wings, and a loud ' quack, quack ! ' as a string of 

 ducks, their long necks stretched out, pass over not 

 twenty yards high, slowly slanting downwards to the 

 water. This is the favourable moment for the gun, 

 because their big bodies are well defined against the 

 sky, and aim can be taken ; but to shoot anything on 

 the ground at night, even a rabbit, whose white tail 

 as he hops away is fairly visible, is most difficult. 



The baffling shadows and the moonbeams on the 

 barrel, and the faint reflection from the dew or hoar 

 frost on the grass, prevent more than a general 

 direction being given to the gun, even with the tiny 

 piece of white paper which some affix to the muzzle- 

 sight as a guide. From a punt with a swivel gun 

 it is different, because the game is swimming and 

 visible as black dots on the surface, and half a pound 

 of shot is sure to hit something. But in the water- 

 meadows the ducks get among the grass, and the 

 larger water carriers where they can swim usually 

 have small raised banks, so that at a distance only 

 the heads of the birds appear above them. 



So that the best time to shoot a duck is just as 

 he slopes down to settle first, because he is distinctly 

 visible against the sky ; next, because he is within 

 easy range ; and, lastly, his flight is steady. If you 

 attempt to have ducks driven towards you, though 



