806 PHEASANTS 



necks of the rest, whose ignominious end 

 is a prelude to their appearance in the 

 market. 



This master of his trade, who probably 

 knows more of the ways of our commoner 

 ducks from a practical point of view than 

 any other man living, has also very 

 materially reduced his food bill — always 

 a formidable item where ducks are con- 

 cerned — by inducing his grown ducks to 

 live largely on pulped turnips. As he 

 put it to the writer of these notes : — 



Your duck is a gorgeous person, and only 

 wants to fill himself with something ; so we make 

 him gorge himself with what we can get. 



The ethics of shooting are always a 

 difficult problem, nor is it easy to define 

 the limits of fair sport with the gun. 

 Thousands of duck are now often killed 

 in a day set apart for the purpose, gener- 

 ally in the middle of a covert-shooting 

 week to lend variety to the entertain- 

 ment. Public opinion is silent, and each 

 individual must make up his own mind 



