124 
FRANK FORESTER^ FIELD SPORTS. 
performed by many of the men, of the hoarse honking of the 
Ganders; and if they come fairly to the stools, great is the ex¬ 
citement of watching their approach, as they come beating the 
air with the heavy sweep of their long wings, dimpling the 
smooth surface of the water with their dragging legs ; and huge 
is the sport if you succeed in delivering a volley of four heavy 
single guns, well loaded with A, which I greatly prefer to BB, 
into their midst. 
Brent, which, next to the Canada Goose, is, in my opinion, 
the best bird shot on the Long Island waters, is much more 
wary, and less easily decoyed. In fact, they rarely settle to the 
stools, so as to afford a fine shot, although at times they will 
swim up to them. It has been recently found that a skilful 
oarsman can herd and drive them down to the decoys, where 
his companions are awaiting them, as they will swim steadily 
away in a direct line from the bows of an advancing boat, with¬ 
out attempting to take wing, unless they are pressed too closely; 
and advantage has been taken of this propensity to make great 
havoc. Another common method of killing this delicious bird, 
the flesh of which is rarely, if ever, fishy, and which in May 
especially is superexcellent, is to lie in wait for them in hiding 
places, constructed so as to command and sweep the sand-bars 
on which they are wont to congregate in great flocks, for the 
purpose of wallowing and dusting themselves in the white sand. 
It is by this method that the greatest numbers of them have been 
generally killed. 
There is another plan for taking Brent Geese, or Brant, which, 
although it is denounced by Mr. Giraud as unsportsmanlike, 
and as highly detrimental to the feeding grounds, is nevertheless 
in my mind infinitely the best fun, the highest excitement, and 
the greatest sport, of any kind of fowl shooting—I mean sailing 
for the fowl before the wind, in light swift boats. These Geese 
have the habit, as I have observed before, of swimming away 
directly in front of pursuing boats; and it would appear that 
with a sail-boat coming snoring down before a stiff breeze, the} 
miscalculate the distance and velocity of the approaching peril 
