22 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 



go to work is not to disturb tlie birds too soon, but to 

 keep at a moderate distance off, and wait till tbe tide 

 gradually rises to witbin a quarter of a mile of tbem. 

 As tbe water closes on tbem, tbe fowl will crowd closer 

 and closer togetber, till eventually tbere are bundreds in 

 a company. As tbis is tbeir last cbance for a feed — 

 particularly if tbe weatber is frosty — tbey are more un- 

 suspecting tban at any otber time. All tbis time you 

 must be '^ setting up " to tbem ; but as tbe mud begins 

 to disappear you may ''work up.^^ Of course I need 

 bardly say you must keep your punt " end on," preserve 

 tbe greatest silence, and lie at tbe bottom of tbe punt. 

 By skilfully attending to tbese instructions, you may 

 frequently get witbin fifty yards of an immense flock 

 of wigeon — so close, in fact, tbat you are obliged to 

 wbistle to make tbem put tbeir beads up. Dan bas told 

 me tbat be bas frequently manoeuvred round a company 

 at close quarters to get a " rake," so unsuspecting bave 

 tbey been. .Witb average luck, a pound gun ougbt to 

 kill on tbese occasions from tbirty to sixty fowl. Wben 

 ' at tbis game, look out for straggling sbooters ; besides 

 being a great nuisance, and liable to totally spoil a 

 barbour in a week, tbey are sometimes ratber dangerous. 

 Dan was once lying off a large company of wigeon on 

 tbe edge of a bank, rising witb tbe ebb flow; be bad 

 previously seen a man in a small boat, but lost sigbt of 

 bim. As be was quietly watcbing tbe fowl, be saw tbe 

 boat again gradually approacb, and wbat was bis amaze- 

 ment to receive tbe contents of a long single at about 

 fifty yards' range ! Tbe man luckily made a bad sbot, 

 only a pellet or two striking, but not penetrating, 

 Dan's swansdown coat. He bad mistaken bim for 

 a small buncb of wigeon ! Of course tbe birds. 



