228 WILD-FOWL 



Remaining absolutely motionless until the birds were 

 directly opposite, I quickly raised the gun, and as the 

 birds crowded closely together fired and brought 

 down seven with my two barrels. This was my only 

 shot that afternoon, and when I reached our camp the 

 captain said he had heard my gun, and asked if I had 

 his duck for dinner. I promptly produced a teal from 

 the pocket of my coat, and as the others of our mess 

 (there were six in all) came up, I presented a teal to 

 each, taking one at a time from my coat, much to their 

 amusement and satisfaction, since we had for several 

 days been dining on venison and bacon. 



I doubt if I could have done as well with any other 

 ducks except the other teal, and am sure I could not 

 have carried them in the pocket of my coat. Like 

 other ducks the teal are easier marks when shot over 

 decoys, but when under full headway, passing singly 

 or in small numbers over points, I can imagine no 

 marks more difficult. The sportsman accustomed to 

 shooting over dogs will miss many shots at teal before 

 he bags a single bird. 



After some days' shooting at the sharp-tailed grouse, 

 I went one day to a famous duck-pass in North 

 Dakota, when the teal were flying from the Devil's 

 Lake to a smaller one to breakfast. As soon as I had 

 made my blind, they began to come singly and in 

 pairs, sometimes three or four together or a small 

 flock, and although they came in quick succession and 

 the shooting was fast enough to heat the gun, I be- 

 lieve it was an hour or more before I killed a bird. I 

 was almost in despair, when I fired at a passing flock, 

 holding the gun a yard or more before the leading 



