CHAP, xix.] SHOOTING WILD GEESE. 153 



appearance was to make them break their line and fly straight 

 away from me in all directions, thus giving me wliat I wanted, 

 shots at them when flying away from me, in which case they are 

 easy to kill. My cartridges told with good effect, and I killed a 

 brace, one dropping perfectly dead and the other extending her 

 wings and gradually sinking, till she fell on the top of a furze- 

 busli three or four hundred yards off', where I found her lying 

 quite dead. It appeared that Simon, seeing that the birds had 

 observed me, ran round them, and then setting up a shout, had 

 luckily driven them nolens volens over my head. They were 

 the white-fronted goose, with pure white spots on their fore- 

 heads. About three weeks after this time, at the end of 

 March, large flights of grey geese appear here, feeding on the 

 fresh-sown oats, barley, and peas during the day, and passing the 

 night on the sands of the bay, whither they always repair soon 

 after sunset. 



I had passed a great part of several days in endeavouring to 

 get at these wary birds, and had occasionally killed a stray one 

 or two, but some ill luck or error on my part (Simon would 

 never admit that his own tactics were wrong) had always pre- 

 vented my getting a good shot at the flocks. As for Simon, he 

 protested that " his heart was quite broken with the beasts." 

 One morning, however, I got up at daylight and went to the 

 shore ; a heavy mist was rolling over the bay, and I could see 

 nothing, but heard the wild and continued cry of hundreds of 

 geese answering each other, and apparently consulting as to what 

 direction they should seek their morning's repast in. Presently 

 I knew from their altered cry that the birds were on wing, and 

 were coming directly towaius where I was: I sat down, and very 

 soon a long line of geese came cackling and chattering within 

 fifteen yards of me, and I killed a brace with no trouble. In 

 the afternoon, while walking on the shore, I saw a large flock of 

 geese rise off the sea and fly inland, in a long undulating line, 

 evidently looking for a place to feed on. I watched them with 

 my glass, and saw the field in which they alighted, at the dis- 

 tance of at least two miles from me. I sent for Simon, and started 

 in pursuit. We came within two fields of the birds, and could 

 advance no nearer without risk of putting them up. On two 

 sides of the field " in which they were feeding," was a deep open 



