552 DUCK SHOOTING. 



together, but they did not keep down the sea, were 

 noisy, and had other objections. The modern battery 

 differs from that of old times chiefly in its head wing, 

 or head fender, as it is often called. This is a piece of 

 canvas nearly square, stained gray, and as wide as the 

 platform and the two side wings, which is tacked to 

 four or five strips of wood which keep it floating 

 on the water, the strips lying under the canvas. The 

 color of the canvas should be made, as nearly as pos- 

 sible, that of the water in which the battery is to 

 be used. To the middle of the last strip — that is 

 to say, the one furthest from the battery — an an- 

 chor rope is tied, to which the anchor is fastened. 

 When the battery is rigged, this anchor is thrown 

 overboard and the head fender is unrolled to its full 

 length. This is commonly done by using a light 

 boat-hook ten feet long. The point of the boat-hook 

 is inserted in the hole through which the anchor rope 

 is fastened, and the head fender is thus forced away 

 from the battery until it lies flat upon the water; 

 then by using the boat-hook as a pole and shoving 

 on the bottom, the battery is pushed to leeward un- 

 til the anchor rope is taut. The battery will usually 

 then swing so that the head fender is directly to wind- 

 ward of the battery. But sometimes — for example, 

 when the tide is running at right angles to the wind, 

 and the wind is light — it may be necessary to use the 

 boat-hook to overcome the force of the tide, and to 

 anchor the battery in its proper position. 



From the foot of the platform or deck, another rop^ 



