Something strange happened while hunting today!

In your book did it explain the punt guns used by the market hunters

now thats a shotgun
barrel the lenght of a rowwing skiff
pound of powder
hinged apart so it could be loaded from inside the boat then just row twards a flock and when in range fire and send a 2 pounds + of shot
down the 2 inch bore

what you say how do you aim such a gun why use the oars of course
elivation was genraly pre decided at right accross the waters surface why wait for them to fly when you can take the hole flock sleeping

Yeah, ''punt guns'' were just small cannons that were loaded with birdshot. Some even had multiple barrels that were angled to form an arc of fire to kill as many of the sleeping ducks & geese as possible with one shot. This kind of commericial hunting led to the near- extinction of several species of waterfowl. The unregulated slaughter also led to liscensed hunting.

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Freedom isn't Free

Take it alive. Take it home. Poke out its eyes and put it in a small cage. Force-feed it oats and millet and figs until it has swollen to four times its normal size. Drown it in brandy. Roast it whole, in an oven at high heat, for six to eight minutes. Bring it to the table. Place a cloth—a napkin will do—over your head to hide your cruelty from the sight of God. Put the whole bird into your mouth, with only the beak protruding from your lips. Bite. Put the beak on your plate and begin chewing, gently. You will taste three things: First, the sweetness of the flesh and fat. This is God. Then, the bitterness of the guts will begin to overwhelm you. This is the suffering of Jesus. Finally, as your teeth break the small, delicate bones and they begin to lacerate your gums, you will taste the salt of your own blood, mingling with the richness of the fat and the bitterness of the organs. This is the Holy Spirit, the mystery of the Trinity—three united as one. It is cruel. And beautiful. According to Claude Souvenir, chewing the ortolan takes approximately 15 minutes. [1]

That is the most bizarre thing I've ever heard.