1 62 SPORTS AND ANECDOTES. 



ducks, I am told, at times. I say at times, because, 

 as an old gunner, I can tell you that at times, if ducks 

 are not canny they will hardly allow you to look at 

 them, but will get up and fly, and alight again, and 

 fly again, from no apparent cause that I could ever 

 find out, except that they are not canny ; perhaps it 

 has something to do with the weather, but of this, 

 never having been a duck, I cannot speak with any 

 certainty, and only state it as a fact, in which, I feel 

 sure any old brother gunner will bear me out. 



I was surprised one day to see one of these 

 Pontine Marsh shooters, who had killed some ducks, 

 carefully extracting their entrails, and on asking him 

 the reason, he said that they always fried them for 

 their own eating, and that they were the best part, 

 and that they sent their bodies to the market. It 

 may be so, but I never tried it, and what's more, I 

 don't seem to see it. 



Two of our party got a fair bag of snipe one day 

 under the guidance of a cacciatore, who was famous 

 in those days, named Scappalati. They brought home 

 nineteen couple, but did it under great difficulties, 

 from the state that the ground was in. There must 

 have been very good flight-shooting at times, but 

 the state of the country from the waters being 



