A SPOTTING TRIP TQ FRANCE.' 229 



ing the best of their way home through St. 

 Servan. 



I learned from my brother's sailors that at 

 low tide a little bay close by was covered with 

 woodcocks. It seemed they had been frozen 

 out everywhere, and came down to feed at low- 

 water. I determined in the morning to see 

 what I could do with them, so taking a glass 

 of hot brandy and water, turned into Bedford- 

 shire, and was soon in the land of riod. 



The next morning I arose betime, and got 

 a couple of the men to row me off to the little 

 bay. No one seemed to have found it out as 

 yet, for there was no shooting going on. It 

 was only half ebb, yet there were thousands of 

 birds on it golden plover, lapwings, woodcock, 

 snipe, and all sorts of ducks. I am afraid to 

 say what I killed, but there were forty-four 

 woodcock amongst them. They were in poor 

 condition, as were the snipe. The plovers, teal, 

 -and duck were fat, and in good order. 



At three o'clock I was on board the " Manola" 

 again, and she was just getting under weigh 

 to proceed to the Bay of St. Souliac, which was 

 to be the scene of the duck shooting operations. 



