e double-barrelled shot-guns,
others were rifles. You will wonder at rifles being used in such a
sport, and yet it is a fact that the gentlemen who carried rifles
managed to do more execution than those who were armed with the other
species. This arose from the circumstance that they were contented to
aim at single birds, and, being good shots, they were almost sure to
bring these down. The woods were filled with straggling pigeons. Odd
birds were always within rifle range; and thus, instead of wasting their
time in endeavouring to approach the great flocks, our riflemen did
nothing but load and fire. In this way they soon counted their game by
dozens.

"Early in the evening, the pigeons, having filled their crops with the
mast, disappeared. They flew off to some distant `roost.' This of
course concluded our sport for the day. We got together and counted our
numbers. We had 640 birds. We returned home full of hope; we felt
certain that we had won for that day. Our antagonists had arrived
before us. They showed us 736 dead pigeons. We were beaten.

"I really cannot explain the chagrin which this defeat occasioned to
most of our party. They felt humiliated in the eyes of the ladies,
whose company they were to lose on the morrow. To some there was
extreme bitterness in the idea; for, as I have already stated,
attachments had sprung up, and jealous thoughts were naturally their
concomitants. It was quite tantalising, as we parted next morning, to
see the galaxy of lovely women ride off with our antagonists, while we
sought the woods in the opposite direction, dispirited and in silence.

"We went, however, determined to do our best, and win the ladies for the
morrow. A council was held, and each imparted his advice and
encouragement; and then we all set to work with shot-gun and rifle.

"On this day an incident occurred that aided our `count' materially. As
you know, gentlemen, the wild pigeons, while feeding, sometimes cover
the ground so thickly that they crowd upon each other. They all advance
in the same direction, those behind continually rising up and fluttering
to the front, so that the surface presents a series of undulations like
sea-waves. Frequently the birds alight upon each other's backs, for
want of room upon the ground, and a confused mass of winged creatures is
seen rolling through the woods. At such times, if the sportsman can
only `head' the flock, he is sure of a good shot. Almost