of one who understands his business to superintend them. Never place entire confidence in your cook: a slight circumstance may cause you to be disappointed: your rail may be overdone, and in such case you may as well offer a burnt mutton-chop to your friend.

THE WILD DUCK.

"Ainsi dans leur saison les canes du Lapland
Partent, formant dans l'air un triangle volant."

THIS beautiful bird of passage arrives in the autumn and departs in the spring. There remain here and there a few that make their nests in France; they select marshes, pools surrounded by wood, in which they lay their eggs. The desire of these idle ones appears to be simply that of affording to the sportsman the pleasure of killing the young birds, which grant to the gastronome the ineffable delight of eating a bird of such exquisite flavour.

The flocks of wild ducks are sometimes very numerous, the great difficulty is to approach them. It is generally necessary to use a boat as well as a duck-gun; even then your shots are at some distance, though you may bring down ten or a dozen at a time. Among those hit, many are not killed,

only wounded; they still swim, though they can no longer fly: it is necessary to pursue them, but a second shot generally effects your desire. But it is not exactly of that species of sport that we here write; we must not forget that we are sporting with a dog.

In the first place, you must prepare yourself with some long water-proof boots, strong and pliant. In order to obtain these I could recommend you to many places, as also give you an excellent receipt to keep them in order; but in the present day there is scarcely a town in which you may not be creditably supplied.

Be careful to keep your dog close. Wild ducks rise at some distance from the shooter, more particularly when the flock is numerous. As with the partridge, a single bird is far more easily approached than a covey. Do not then allow your dog by too much eagerness to render the chance more difficult. Charge your gun with large shot, No. 3 or No. 2. The wild duck, above all water-birds, has generally the thickest plumage; you must therefore have a large shot

to penetrate this covering, more particularly when the bird rises at some distance. Hunt with care all the sides of the pool; beat well the long weeds and rushes, and do not hurry too much, or you may leave a bird behind you. In this manner you may find snipes, rails, &c. When duck-shooting, something is always to be met with. In marsh shooting the best of dogs will sometimes lose his scent: the water which penetrates the nostrils, or the particles of mud, is the cause. It will be as well, therefore, sometimes to allow him to rest, dry himself in the sun, and begin again. It is almost needless that I should add, that in duck-shooting, as in all other shooting save that of snipe, it is necessary to have the wind. A good wind in sporting is a sine quâ non.

The wild duck is perhaps the game which causes the most noise when rising. The flapping of its wings in the water, and soon after in the air, astonishes a novice. It is on this account that Varron gives it the name of quassa gipenna.

In firing at a wild duck on the wing you

have far more chance of killing it than on the water. In the first case the feathers are separated and more readily penetrated, in the second it is quite the contrary. If you fire at a duck on the water, aim always at that part of the bird immediately above the surface of the water. The duck will sometimes dive; in such case be prepared to fire with your second barrel the moment it rises again. When firing at this bird on the wing, it will be as well to fire rather high than too much at the body: in fact, let your aim be at the head. It is sometimes very difficult to recover a wounded wild duck; the best dog may be at fault: the bird dives, and re-appears twenty yards off; the moment the dog approaches he dives again, and so on ad infinitum. If in a boat this is soon ended, as you get another shot: if on land, I pity you. The spaniel is the best dog for marsh shooting: as for the setter, he is too soon done; rheumatic and other pains distress him, and destroy his scenting powers this is a sport too rough for his constitution. Should you see afar off some