WOOD-PIGEONS AND WILD-FOWL 153 



A tall, isolated tree near the feeding-field (pre- 

 ferably a silver- fir, through which you can see to 

 shoot) is likely to concentrate the birds, which from 

 about eleven in the morning till five in the afternoon 

 are in no hurry to eat. Having done well at them 

 coming to and going from such a tree or group of 

 trees, without special attraction, you may get a good 

 second innings if you fix a decoy or two high up, by 

 climbing the tree or using jointed rods. A day or 

 two's peace in between times will do much to restore 

 the pigeons' confidence. This sort of pigeon- 

 shooting does not last more than about a fortnight, 

 since so many fields will have become attractive. 

 Still, you may bag a good many pigeons, and help 

 to lessen the damage they do to the uncut corn, 

 especially where it is down or * lodged/ by walking 

 round the edges of the fields or up a furrow. The 

 first shot you fire will put up pigeons in other parts 

 of the field, but the chances are, if they do not 

 notice you, they will settle again. By squatting 

 down below the level of the corn after each shot, 

 you may get others from each field round which you 

 walk. Once I bagged a flying pigeon with a stone. 

 It was a sort of double fluke, for until I had thrown 

 the stone I did not see the pigeon. I had seen 

 some rooks pitch where some rye had lodged, within 

 a few yards of a low hedge. I crept quietly round, 

 armed with the only stone I could find one of 

 those small light ones, like half a walnut-shell, that 



