416 
A JOURNEY TO THE 
hundred yards from: the willows, but in fome 
fituations not half that diftance. Under the cen- 
terof the net a heap of {now is thrown up:to —_ 
the fize of one or two bufhels, and when welt 
packed is covered with gravel. To fet the nets, 
when thus prepared, requires. no other trouble 
than lifting up one fide of the frame, and. fupport- 
ing it with two {mail props, about four feet long: 
a. line is faftened to thofe props, and the other 
end: being conveyed'to the neighbouring willows, 
is abways fo contrived that a man can get to it 
without being feen by the birds under the net. 
When every thing is thus prepared, the hunters: 
have nothing to do but go into the adjacent wil- 
lows and woods, and when they ftart game, en- 
deavour to drive them into the net, which at 
times is no hard tafk, as they frequently run be- 
fore them like chickens; and fometimes require 
no driving, for as foon as they fee the black heap 
of gravel on the white fnow they fly ftraight to- 
wards it. The hunter then goes to the end of 
the line to watch their motions, and when he fees 
there are as many about the gravel as the net can 
cover, or as many as are likely to go under at 
that time, with a fudden pull he hauls down the 
fakes, and the net falls horizontally on the fhow, 
and enclofes the greateft part of the birds that 
are under it. The hunter then runs to the 
net as foon as poffible, and kills all the birds by 
biting them at the back of the head. He then fets . 
up the net, takes away all the dead game, and 
repeats 
