HINTS ON PUNTING TO FOWL 253 
of the gun is most important when taking sitting shots, 
especially on water. A little allowance is often made (accord- 
ing to loading) in practice, and generally an approximate 
height in a moment of anxiety is found sufficient to prove 
successful. Should this allowance be overrated, sad will be 
the result. With flying shots, the height of the gun does not 
so much matter. Having full power to raise or lower the gun 
bodily, will be found beneficial when a shot has to be taken 
over a low mud bank or similar ground. 
In concluding the remarks on the height a punt-gun should 
be laid above water-level for each respective shot, we would 
endeavour to remind readers that everything depends upon this 
feature if the fowl are to be properly ‘‘raked.”” We may give 
example of this by saying that by firing a gun set too high at 
fowl on the water, the result is that the shot is plunged, if set too 
-low the shot is thrown in such a way that the bulk of the charge 
strikes the water short and bounds high over the fowl. It is 
then that the young fowler wonders why he never kills more 
than three or four fowl at a shot when he should at least 
have bagged a score. Should the gun be correctly set and 
aimed, the result, no doubt, will be satisfactory. The first 
part of the charge will catch those birds which have sprung on 
sight of the smoke or flash, the centre shot will ‘‘rake” the 
sitting birds, whilst the late and low-flying pellets will ricochet 
and kill those fowl which happen to be tardy. Then it is, 
and usually not until then, that the fowler has gained the art 
of making a good shot, even if not yet advanced in skill 
enough to take the fowl on wing. The tyro must, of course, 
first learn to make good sitting shots before attempting flying 
ones. The beginner who attempts flying shots is going the 
wrong way to success, for certain, and many will be his 
failures. 
Distance is a most important matter in wildfowling, and 
can only be calculated through experience. Fixed guns (i.e. 
