SHOOTING DUCKS ON LAKE MAGGIORE. 139 



or by twos and threes together, snoozing, with their 

 heads under their wings. I have passed them so close 

 that I could have put a landing-net over them, or have 

 touched them with the ramrod of my cripple-stopper ; 

 and on gently turning my head, I have frequently 

 seen many that I have passed within a few yards 

 totally ignorant of my presence, and still quietly sleep- 

 ing as if it was all right, when suddenly one of them 

 would raise his head, and with a rush and a " quack, 

 quack, quack," raise the whole flock which were still 

 quite out of shot. However, at such a moment there 

 were generally some that had got into a line as they 

 rose, and at these I used to let drive, and often got 

 five or six, knocking down more, who, of course, got 

 away. For it is seldom one gets more than half 

 what one knocks down, and three or four winged 

 ducks on a large piece of water take some retrieving, 

 they dive so deucedly to every point of the compass 

 that cripple-stopper and cripple-net are often no match 

 for them ; and if you are not very sharp upon them 

 I mean going up to them the moment they fall, and 

 lay about you right and left with your cripple-stopper 

 or shoulder-gun you are sure to lose any bird that 

 has any life left in him, and even then you must be 

 very quick, for no rabbit shooting requires such quick 



