THE COMPLETE WILDFOWLER (ASHORE AND AFLOAT). By Stanley Duncan and Guy Thorne.

(1911) 1950 revised edition. 8vo (142 x 222mm). Pp319. Colour frontispiece, b/w photographs, illustrations, pictorial end-papers. Blue-green cloth, gilt wildfowl motif to upper board, spine titled in gilt.

The complete compendium of wildfowling in the early part of the twentieth century. In two parts: Shore Shooting and Punt Shooting. Fully half of the book is a comprehensive guide to punt-gunning with detailed descriptions of punt guns, gunning punts and their construction. Chapters include: Introduction; What wildfowliing really is; Wildfowlers and wildfowling yesterday, today and tomorrow; Guns; Ammunition; The complete gun-room; The law as it affects wildfowlers; Wildfowl dogs and how to break them; Shore-shooting - hutting; Shore-shooting - working 'longshore; Shore-shooting - day-flighting, calling, and decoys; Decoys - how to make and use them; Movements of wildfowl and shore birds; Migration of shore-birds and wildfowl; Some illustrative experiences; Punt-gunning as a sport; The dangers of punt-shooting; Some general notes; Gunning-punt accessories; Punt-guns; Recoil gearing for punt-guns; Conversion of muzzle-loading punt-guns to breech-loading; On loading punt-guns; Care of guns and gear; Weather, with a note on punt clothing; Hints on punting to fowl, and the actual use of punt-guns; Gunning-punt construction; Various kinds of gunning-punts; Gunning-punt rudders; Birds met with by the wildfowler.