File:The game birds and wild fowl of Sweden and Norway; with an account of the seals and salt-water fishes of those countries (1867) (14563265147).jpg

Identifier: gamebirdswildfow00lloy (find matches)
Title: The game birds and wild fowl of Sweden and Norway; with an account of the seals and salt-water fishes of those countries ..
Year: 1867 (1860s)
Authors: Lloyd, L. (Llewelyn), 1792?-1876
Subjects: Game and game-birds Marine animals
Publisher: London, F. Warne and co.
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

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r —one oftenadopted by ourselves—is out of a small sailing boat.Should it be calm, or the wind adverse, little, it is true, isto be done; but if, on the contrary, the breeze is freshand fair, so that without losing time in tacking, you canbear down directly on the birds—several species of whichare generally in view—tolerable sjiort is always obtain-able; and were a man to fire at all birds within range,the powder-horn would soon be emptied. But even ifyou confine yourself to such as are of some value, a prettygood bag is always to be calculated on. With us, as said, the Eider-Duck was a favouriteobject of pursuit, for not only are its feathers valuable,but from its large size it proves, in every sense of theword, a valuable acquisition to the larder. Whenchasing this bird in a sailing boat, one shovild alwaysendeavour to obtain the weather gauge, as on taking wingit almost invariably flies to windward ; and the harder itblows the greater the chance one has of a shot; but then,
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^^4 0. ?■ f 1 ■^^ t i ^ M ^^ f ^ ;^ ^M Hp^ , > ^y \ > _ -J ( Wm^: EIDER-DUCK SHOOTING. 355 as a set-off, the spray that, in rough weatlier, dashes overthe boat, is exceedingly inconvenient to both the gunnerand the gun. From the thickness of the Eiders feathers,more particularly in winter and spring, when this bird isin full plumage, it takes a great deal to bring it down,and large shot are consequently requisite. Of Eideralone, nevertheless, a young friend and myself havethus not unfrequently bagged from eight to ten in a day,and during one particular season (including a few killedby other means) close upon a hundred of these birds. The Long-tailed Hareld, the Sheldrake, the Merganser,and many other species of aquatic birds, as well as waders,often fell to our guns, so that the spoil, if not alwaysconsiderable, was at least varied, which to my notion addsmuch to the pleasure of a days shooting. With us,moreover, few or none of the birds bagged were thrownaway, for such of t

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