290 SHORE BIRDS 



Approaching a feeding ground, a variety of birds 

 are seen diligently at work, running about on the 

 muddy or sandy flat and in the shallow water. These 

 sound an alarm and take wing, flying rapidly away. 

 The blind is quickly arranged, the decoys are set out 

 and the boat sails away to a sufficient distance, so as 

 not to alarm the returning birds. As the tide rises 

 the birds feeding in the marshes are driven out and 

 fly about. The bay-man at once knows what variety 

 is approaching, even when they are but small specks 

 on the horizon, and begins to whistle a perfect imita- 

 tion of their cries. Soon they discover the counter- 

 feits and wheeling all together they come sailing up, 

 flutter a moment over the decoys and often alight 

 among them if permitted to do so. 



If the birds are allowed to alight an immense num- 

 ber may often be killed at the first shot, and many 

 more will surely fall to the second barrel as the rem- 

 nant of the flock flies away. 



There may be some excuse for a market gunner with 

 a large family to support (if legally permitted to shoot 

 birds, as he should not be) shooting birds on the 

 ground. His business requires him to get the largest 

 number of birds with the least expenditure of ammu- 

 nition. There is no such excuse for a sportsman. He 

 should select his birds while they are on the wing and 

 try for a double shot. Since he presumably shoots 

 for sport alone, he would do well to try and make his 

 double shot count for not more than two birds, shoot- 

 ing where the birds are widely spaced instead of where 

 they are most closely crowded together. It is short- 

 sighted in the extreme now that game birds of all sorts 



