312 THE COMPLETE SHOT 



along the coasts birds on the mud and in the air appear almost 

 as numerous, and as all-pervading, as the great fat snowflakes 

 that have little less of wills of their own than the fowl themselves, 

 and are little less playthings and creations of the air and 

 water. 



In such wild weather three shots at knotts have resulted in 

 a bag of 600 birds, to say nothing of the wounded. Then grey 

 geese and brent fly low, and follow the receding, as they have 

 to move from the flowing, tide ; for they are always hungry, and 

 it is no time to be particular. Ducks then feed as much by 

 day as by night, and geese possibly as much by night as by 

 day ; for they are starving, and grow so poor in condition when 

 this weather lasts long as not to be worth shooting, or sending 

 to market when shot. It is as if the lion once more lay down 

 with the lamb, for the birds become almost fearless, and quite 

 careless of their mortal enemy man, who in the beginning of 

 the storm rejoices in his victory over the most wary fowl of the 

 air, as the grey geese are, and in the end hopes the weather 

 may soon break to save the lives of the poor useless things. 



How is it that the fowl that are migrants, and have already 

 come perhaps 2000 miles, are caught like this, maybe upon the 

 north Norfolk coast, when by flying away to the west coast of 

 Ireland or to sunny Spain they would find the condition of 

 temperature they require and lots of food? Probably those 

 that were there when the weather started its avian trials did 

 that, and possibly the multiplication of migrants, as the storm 

 continues, are birds that have already had a thousand miles' race 

 to ride before the storm and have been worsted in the attempt. 

 If so, their weakness and want of food is the cause. They have 

 not the strength to cross snow-covered England, where they 

 could get no bite nor sup on the way. In other words, they 

 perish, like Mrs. Dombey, because they have not the strength 

 to make an effort. 



It is not these belated and consequently starved birds that 

 the shore shooter wants to make the acquaintance of, but the 

 first to arrive on the wings of the storm, and consequently any 

 aspirant to this kind of sport should keep in touch with the 



