THE RIVER VALLEYS 77 



that was standing upon the shingle beside the river. I got up 

 quite close to this bird and had a rising shot at him as he flew 

 across the stream. I killed him quite dead, but it seemed 



^ 



WILDGOOSE CAMP 



impossible to retrieve him, and we were rather disconsolately 

 watching his body drift away when it struck us that Jones, who 

 was very clever with the lasso, might manage to recover it at a 

 point where the current brought it within reach of our side. We 

 therefore galloped parallel to the bird along the bank, and after 

 one or two ineffectual efforts, Jones succeeded in getting the lasso 

 round him, and so dragged him in. 



" We next had lunch, which consisted of maU. As we sat 

 waiting for the kettle to boil, several blue-winged teal (^Querquedula 

 cfanopfera) . passed over us and went down in a small marsh 

 towards the Genguel. After these Jones had another stalk, and 

 killed two. As he was returning a couple of geese flew over at about 

 thirty-five yards distance, and he dropped the female quite dead. 

 It is extraordinary what an amount of shot these geese will in a 



