Bartram's Sandpiper — Upland Plover 327 



that undesirable thing, i.e. shooting when the 

 game is beyond the reliable killing zone of the 

 gun, and the consequent wounding of birds which 

 never will be gathered. 



A popular method in many parts of the West 

 is to drive to the birds in a buckboard, or 

 other convenient rig. For a man who can 

 shoot well in the sitting posture this is an ex- 

 cellent plan, as the birds almost invariably will 

 permit a wheeled conveyance to approach within 

 comparatively easy range. A clever driver is 

 a valuable assistant. Such a man never heads 

 his team directly at the birds, but drives as 

 though he merely intended to pass them by. 

 A good judge of distance in the open can 

 in this way edge within comfortable range of 

 plover which, if the driver steered straight for 

 them, or the gun attempted to dismount and 

 stalk, would at once make off. I have va- 

 ried the shooting from the seat by walking 

 at the horse's shoulders. The plover do not 

 appear to notice the extra pair of legs. This 

 sometimes gives the prettiest kind of shooting. 

 All one has to do is to judge when sufficiently 

 close, then stand still with the gun at the ready, 

 while the team moves steadily ahead. Usually 

 the plover will take wing the moment the foot- 

 man is uncovered; but should they not, the 

 man can gain a few yards by briskly walking 



