ANSER EUBRIROSTRIS. 67 



with his second liarrel as they rise ; if, however, he is very near indeed, it 

 is better to wait and have both barrels into them on the wing. They take 

 some time getting on way after rising, and give lots of time to put in two 

 shots, and more birds will be dropped in this way than if the nnspread shot 

 had taken them on the ground. Hume also mentions stalking them under 

 a blanket, and beguiling the geese into a belief that you are an inoffensive 

 native just out for a prowl ; where, however, the natives have a gun, the 

 geese will undoubtedly " wink the other eye " and, blanket or no blanket, 

 leave long before that article is brought within shooting distance. A bullock 

 is more useful than a blanket under such circumstances, and from behind the 

 shelter of one much slaughter may be done if the animal is properly worked. 

 Hume says that they are easily killed during the daytime on all the 

 large rivers. I have not found this to be the case myself, but as his 

 experience is fully ten times what mine is, the sportsman had better follow 

 his advice and not mine. He says : — " During the hotter parts of the day 

 they are, as already mentioned, generally found in larger or smaller parties 

 dozing in the sun on some sandbank, at the water's edge. Directly such a 

 party is sighted you take a small boat, and, with the aid of a couple of 

 experienced men, row or punt noiselessly down to another two or three 

 hundred yards of the birds, when, if the water is shallow enough to allow 

 it (and the boatmen seem to know this by instinct), one man gets quietly 

 out of the boat behind, and, while you and your companion in the boat lie 

 down out of sight, he, stooping so as to be entirely concealed by the boat, 

 pushes it down gently and noiselessly, aided by the stream, towards the 

 flock. In this way you may approach, if all is well managed, to within 

 twenty yards of even cranes. You make some arrangement at the bows 

 (I had a false gunwale with suitable holes pierced in it) so as to admit of 

 peeping and shooting without raising your head into view, and, when you 

 get to what you consider the right distance, knock over as many as you can 

 sitting, with the first shot, and as many more as you have time for, before they 

 get out of shot, after they rise. Everything depends on judging rightly the 

 distance for the first shot, with reference to your bore and charge. A little 

 too far you would perhaps hit a score without bagging one ; a little too near 

 and you kill one or two outright, and though you perhaps get one or two 

 more as they rise, that is all ; but if you have a good heavy duck-gun, say 

 No. 8 bore, with two ounces of A.A., and fire at about 50 yds., you will i-arely 

 get less than eight out of a good large flock of geese (and I have got as 

 many as sixteen) with the first shot, besides a brace or so more, with green 

 cartridge, as they rise." 



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