286 A MEDLEY OF SPORT 



one to believe that the ghezirehs upon which they grow 

 are covered with wildfowl. 



Though disappointed in one's first conclusions, highest 

 hopes are fulfilled on making the shallows at the back 

 of the islands, where huge companies of many different 

 species of fowl are to be found. This was the experience 

 of my second trip in the early hours of a January morning 

 — a winter's morning according to the calendar; but I fear 

 British wildfowlers would not allow this description of 

 climatic conditions, seeing that neither sea boots nor 

 sou' -westers formed part of our kit. All the more credit, 

 however, to Lake Menzaleh. 



Gunning-punts are unknown to the lake, but the native 

 felukas with flat bottoms, drawing but a very few inches 

 of water, answer the purpose quite well ; and I have made 

 some excellent bags of duck with a heavy double 4-bore 

 gun rigged on an improvised crutch in the bows of a light 

 feluha, with a light rope breeching rove through a hole in 

 the stock and fastened to improvised trunnions whipped 

 across the top of the crutch. This arrangement (the idea 

 of which, by-the-by, I cribbed from the invention of 

 a well-known firm of London gunmakers) acts admirably 

 in the way of reducing almost to a minimum the recoil of 

 the heavy shoulder gun. The first of the grounds, lying 

 near the track of the steamers, will yield but compara- 

 tively few birds, but on deviating into the wilder 

 parts better sport is obtainable. The best course 

 to adopt is to make to the farthest grounds under 

 cover of night, and work the islands at daybreak from 



