362 SHOOTING. 



punt, and should, if possible, keep a look out, in 

 order to see if any more birds fall dead or wounded 

 from the company, before they have flown out of 

 sight. 



"The gunner generally calculates on bringing 

 home the half only of what he shoots, from the 

 difficulty of catching the whole of his winged birds, 

 which he calls cripples, and those that (to use the 

 pigeon phrase,) fall out of bounds, which he calls 

 droppers. If the birds fly up he generally declines 

 firing, knowing that the moment they are on the 

 wing, they become so much more spread, that 

 he could seldom get more than three or four, for 

 which it would be hardly worth while to disturb 

 the mud, particularly as widgeon, by night, if not 

 fired at, will in cold weather probably settle again 

 at no great distance."* 



Mr. Greener, to whose work we have already 

 referred, says, " Never make duck guns (shoulder- 

 guns) above seven-eighths in the bore, if you wish 

 them to kill at a great distance, and not less than 

 fifteen or sixteen pounds weight, and full four feet 

 long." 



WILD-FOWL SHOOTING FROM A PUNT, WITH A 

 STANCHION-GUN. 



The most destructive method of pursuing wild- 

 fowl is that adopted by the coast gunners resident 

 in the vicinity of creeks and harbours, who kill the 



* Instructions to Young Sportsmen. 8th edit. London, 1838. 



