WILD DUCK AND THEIR PURSUIT. By Douglas Butler.

2010 1st first edition. 8vo (160 x 240mm). Ppxii,211,ad. B/w photographs, sketch maps, brief bibliography, photograph end-papers. Blue boards, spine titled in gilt.

A very good introduction to wildfowling for duck. "Wildfowling is a sport for the dedicated: it takes place at dawn and dusk, often in the depths of winter; it is a largely solitary pursuit (a working dog is often the only companion) and it requires knowledge of each species (for identification purposes) often in poor light and bad weather. This is the first book for many years to focus exclusively on duck shooting and it will appeal to ornithologists, conservationists and those who shoot duck." Douglas Butler is a Tipperary farmer, zoologist and avid wildfowler who gives the reader the benefit of a lifetime's experience and study. Chapters include: About ducks; Residents, migrants, and the numbers game; Times past; Populations, hunting and mortality; Lead shot, non-toxic shot and crippling losses; Regulations; Walking ducks up; Flighting; Flighting at dawn; Flighting at dusk; Moonlight; Stubble time; Punt gunning; The future.