HOW THEY WORK.—­There are a few apologists for the automatic and pump guns who cheerfully say, “So long as the bag limit is observed what difference does it make how the birds are killed?”

It is strange that a conscientious man should ask such a question, when the answer is apparent.

We reply, “The difference is that an automatic or pump gun will kill fully twice as many waterfowl as a double-barrel, if not more; and it is highly undesirable that every gunner should get the bag limit of birds, or any number near it!  The birds can not stand it.  Moreover, the best states for ducks and geese have no bag limits on those birds!” To-day, on Currituck Sound, for example, the market hunters are killing all the waterfowl they can sell.  On Marsh Island, Louisiana, one man has killed 369 ducks in one day, and another market gunner killed 430 in one day.

The automatic and the “pump” shot-guns are the favorite weapons of the game-hog who makes a specialty of geese and ducks.  It is no uncommon thing for a gunner who shoots a machine gun to get, with one gun, as high as eight birds out of one flock.  A man who has himself done this has told me so.

The Champion Game-Slaughter Case.—­Here is a story from California that is no fairy tale.  It was published, most innocently, in a western magazine, with the illustration that appears herewith, and in which please notice the automatic shot-gun: 

“February 5th, I and a friend were at one of the Glenn County Club’s camps....  Neither of us having ever had the pleasure of shooting over live decoys, we were anxious, and could hardly wait for the sport to commence.  On arriving at the scene we noticed holes which had been dug in the ground, just large enough for a man to crawl into.  These holes were used for hiding places, and were deep enough so the sportsmen would be entirely out of sight of the game.  The birds are so wild that to move a finger will frighten them....

“The decoys are wild geese which had been crippled and tamed for this purpose.  They are placed inside of silk net fences which are located on each side of the holes dug for hiding places.  These nets are the color of the ground and it is impossible for the wild geese flying overhead to detect the difference.

“After we had investigated everything the expert caller and owner of the outfit exclaimed:  ‘Into your holes!’

“We noticed in the distance a flock of geese coming.  Our caller in a few seconds had their attention, and they headed towards our decoys.  Soon they were directly over us, but out of easy range of our guns.  We were anxious to shoot, but in obedience to our boss had to keep still, and soon noticed that the birds were soaring around and in a short time were within fifteen or twenty feet of us.  At that moment we heard the command, ’Punch ’em!’ and the bombardment that followed was beyond imagining. We had fired five shots apiece and found we had bagged ten geese from this one flock.