N. B. The carriage, being drawn by Mr. C. Varley, with his graphic telescope, in strict proportion, requires no tedious scale of dimensions. [For a view of this punt, with her "wash-streaks shipped," see frontispiece.]

I have found this punt very useful by drawing her, with the "painter," over the mud at about half ebb; getting her into a creek to which there was no other access, while the sea ran high outside; then sculling down to the mouth of the creek, and firing a cartridge into the swarms of fowl that were sitting near the wash of the breakers, where a swivel-gun could not be raised sufficiently high to shoot clear of the rounding mud: or be turned quick enough to bear on the fowl before they flew up. It was with this punt (lashed on the carriage belonging to the large one, shown in the steel engraving) that I made a passage through the heavy snow in 1836, when the Western Channel was full of fowl, and I was penned into a rural bastille, or inland country seat, while others were enjoying the wild sports of the coast. The only difficulty was to get to Winchester, from whence the road was open to the sea-side. This was considered an utter impossibility; and therefore the contrivance by which it was proved otherwise, may be worth naming, if I state it as briefly as I can, and condense the article into small print. I will give the very words of my private journal.

Dec. 28th.-"Imitated one of the few men I would condescend to imitate-Buonaparte" (an impudent memorandum). "A second Moscow business, though without the failure. The turnpike road, from near Sutton to Winchester, being for more than six miles, filled up to the tops of the hedges with snow, averaging 7 feet deep. I started a direct steeple-chace for Winchester, by crossing the road at the only

passable point, and then taking the fields like a fox-hunter; avoiding the road as destruction, though keeping it in view as a beacon of direction. I had with me twelve men, armed with pick-axes, shovels, and bill-hooks. At every hedge that had not a gap, we were obliged to make a breach through a rock of drifted snow, 6 or 8 feet high; then cut the hedge down low enough to leap the old horse over; and with six or eight of the men, to lift the carriage after him. The men could then "put to" the horse again, and proceed in shallow snow, at about four miles an hour, over a clear arable country; while I and my man took it by turns to gallop forward on a rough-shot prad, with one double armed pioneer, mounted up behind the saddle, and ascertain the next safe breach that could be made; leaving the rest of the troop to storm the previous one. For many days nothing had passed :-every one defied me, and swore we were all mad.— Had we failed-Lord help us! as I doubt if we could have completed our retreat before night, when within two miles of the town. At last we came to the grand difficulty-a ravine and plantation, where I, while in advance as vidette and surveyor, was hailed by a gentleman-shooter, who luckily directed us all to a field on the right. Here we had only to cut through about ten yards, in 5 feet of snow, and get into the turnpike road, about a mile from the town, where there had been a levy en masse to cut a lane through the snow, in order to rescue a gentleman who had been blocked up in his carriage, which could only be released by this laborious undertaking. We then entered Winchester in triumph, to the astonishment of the good citizens, and delight of the party; who as a matter of course, adjourned to discuss the campaign over their heavy wet;' while I and my man trotted on to the coast."

Though my object is to avoid enlarging the pages with dull anecdote, yet I have made a report of the foregoing march, in order to show what may be done by tact, perseverance, and a well built boat-carriage.

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

FOR

SEA-COAST WILDFOWL SHOOTING, WHEN AFLOAT.

I SHALL now more briefly explain my reasons for entering into the minutiae of wildfowl shooting. It is very rare to meet a gentleman that can, or a good professional gunner that will, give any information on the subject. The art is, therefore, the least understood of any sport in existence. No man who had a large gun, and could earn five pounds in a day, or night, would be bored with a gentleman for the sake of his five shillings; and therefore the only man likely to be hired, at a good time for this sport, is some boatman, who has little to recommend him beyond a local knowledge of the harbour: and who therefore requires some one to direct him how to manœuvre the birds.

In following wildfowl, it is easier to get within twenty yards of them by going to leeward, than a hundred and fifty if directly to windward, so very acute is their sense of smelling.

The best time, therefore, to have sport with a canoe and a shoulder-gun (provided it be low water, or half ebb, while you are hid in the creeks) is in clear, frosty, moonlight nights, when the wind happens to blow towards you as you face the moon. It is then impossible for the wildfowl to smell you; and you may by getting them directly

under the light, have the most accurate outline of every bird, and even distinctly see them walking about, at a much greater distance than a gun could do execution. From thus being on the shining mud-banks, they appear quite black, except some of the old cock wigeon, on the wings of which the white is often plainly to be seen.

It does not follow, however, that nothing can be done without a bright moon. So far from it, that the old Poole men, among whom there were, formerly, some of the best shoulder-gunners in the kingdom, prefer but little moon, even for the mud. Here, by constant habit, they can easily distinguish the black phalanxes of wigeon from the shades on the places they frequent, and particularly if they are feeding among the puddles which have been left by the tide. In this pursuit, and when not favoured by the best of light, there are a few cautions to be given to an inexperienced shooter. First, to ascertain that the black patch to be seen is a flock of birds, which he will do, by observing the occasional change of feature in the outside of it. Secondly, on approaching them, to be careful that their enormous masses and tremendous noise do not deceive him in the distance, and tempt him to fire out of shot. And, thirdly, not to be too eager in getting his dead birds; as it sometimes happens, in hard weather, that the remainder of the flock will again pitch down among them; particularly if he has winged some of the younger birds, which have not the cunning to make off for a creek, like the old ones. In this case, a reserved gun would, probably, more than double the produce of his first shot. It should be understood, that this night shooting is chiefly at the wigeon, as the geese, of late years (since there have been so many shooters), have seldom ventured much in har

bour by night; except sometimes at high spring tides, with a full moon; and the greater part of the ducks, teal, dunbirds, and such like, repair inward to the ponds and fresh springs, unless driven to the salt "feeding ground" by severe frost.

A company of wigeon, when first collecting, may be heard at an immense distance, by the whistling of the cocks and purring noise of the hens; but when they are quietly settled, and busy at feed, you sometimes can only hear the motion of their bills, which is similar to that of tame ducks.

Wigeon are never so readily disturbed by hearing a noise as by smelling or seeing: in both of which they are very quick; though, in the latter, less so than many other birds. Sea pheasants and teal are sometimes with them.

On the Dorsetshire coast, the shooters' terms for a large flock of wigeon are a company; for about thirty or forty, a bunch or trip of birds; and for about ten or twelve, a little knob: a string or skein of geese, and other such provincial appellations. They also call a leak, or creek, a lake; and the smaller creeks, or drains, latches. The former is a general term among people on the coast; but the latter, in the neighbourhood of Lymington, is called a "spreader."

If we can neither find a creek nor a "latch" with sufficient water to set up to birds, it is sometimes thought necessary to put the canoe in one of the latter, and there await the return of the tide, with which we may gradually approach them, as the water flows. But if this advance cannot be made under an hour or two, we may as well go away; and if no better chance should offer, return to the place when the tide has risen to within one or two