WILD FOWL SHOOTING. 35.9 



him pass her. A mallard is readily distinguishable, 

 but not always a duck, the latter being so near the 

 colour of the bank. If a dog accompany the shooter 

 it should follow at heel. The earlier in the morn- 

 ing the better for this sport, though in a mist dur- 

 ing a frost wild ducks will remain in the brooks 

 and gutters all day. The shooter should first 

 follow the course of the river to some distance, and 

 take the brooks and sedges afterwards. 



The shooter often waits near a fresh water spring 

 for the coming of ducks, on the verge of night. 

 With his back to a tree or bank he is sufficiently 

 concealed. The ducks, before alighting, fly round 

 their feeding place several times, each time con- 

 tracting their circle, the shooter, therefore should 

 not be in haste, as a near shot is desirable at night ; 

 he should take care, however, to fire before the 

 bird is below the sky-line, or he will not see it dis- 

 tinctly enough to take a correct aim. If it be a 

 dark evening, he need only wait about a quarter 

 of an hour, the last quarter of an hour wherein 

 he can see to shoot ; but if moonlight, he may 

 wait an hour, during which time, and sometimes 

 even longer, ducks will be constantly winging past 

 him. 



Ducks may be walked up on a moonlight night, 

 and killed when above the sky-line, as easily as 

 during day. The objection to night shooting is, 

 that birds are often lost. 



There are several kinds of wild-fowl, such as the 

 water-hen, which will dive rather than fly away 

 when disturbed. They are, for the most part, 



