WOOD-PIGEONS AND WILD-FOWL 163 



man who can get in his shot at a pigeon, that can 

 see him, quicker than the bird can swerve is not yet 

 born. In a thick fog, by taking reasonable care, 

 one may stalk within range of pigeons sitting on 

 trees ; and having shot one on the tree, it is fairly 

 easy to get another as they dash out. Two or, 

 better still, three guns working together during a 

 fog can make a good bag by approaching clumps of 

 pigeon-tenanted trees from opposite directions, and 

 by drawing belts of trees, one on each side, towards 

 the third at the end. I know a parson who is very 

 keen on shooting wood-pigeons. He is fond of 

 telling how one day he was out after pigeons in a 

 thick fog, and a pigeon actually settled on his clerical 

 hat, when he had stopped to light his pipe. There 

 is a credible witness of this part of the story ; but it 

 is said that his reverence was so surprised that he 

 put his pipe into his pocket alight, thinking it was 

 an olive-branch. 



One winter afternoon I met an old retired 

 shepherd armed with a gun, with which he was 

 supposed to ' starve ' pigeons from some turnips. 

 He had a pigeon in his hand, and I asked him how 

 he had managed to shoot it, suggesting that it could 

 not have been flying. ' Oh yes, 'e wore,' he said, 

 proudly. Pressed for details, he added : ' I cock'd 

 me eye over the hedge, when up riz a dooce of a 

 girt gang on 'em ; I lets fly-like to fright 'em away, 

 and one on 'em was silly enough to blunder up agen 



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