REYNARD'S WILES. 283 



in such manner that the limbs of the gunner are left at 

 full liberty, so that he can move about at pleasure. 



Whether the sportsman adopts a veritable Stalking- 

 Horse, a " Skjut-Ko," or a "Birnam Wood" disguise 

 when endeavouring to steal on wild fowl, he must not, on 

 any account, make directly towards them, but sideways, 

 and as if about to pass them. His pace should be even ; 

 and so long as the eye of the Quarry is upon him, he 

 should never halt except when about to fire. 



But perhaps the most ingenious expedient adopted by 

 the Northern Chasseurs to beguile wild fowl late in 

 the autumn, is that spoken of by M. Bedoire, as practised 

 by the workmen at the Iron Works of Gysinge and 

 Soderfors. " During the autumn," says that gentleman, 

 " ducks collect in large flocks on the neighbouring lakes 

 and rivers, the strands of which are in general flat. The 

 fowler, on observing the birds, walks as near to them as 

 he can with safety, when, falling on his hands and knees, 

 he makes his further approaches slowly and cautiously. 

 In the meanwhile he causes his well-trained dog, who 

 should be of a reddish colour, to gambol before him, which 

 lie effects by every now and then throwing the animal a 

 crumb of bread that it catches in its mouth. The ducks, 

 attracted by the antics of the dog, gradually approach the 

 strand, and thus the man is often enabled to get suffi- 

 ciently near them to fire with effect. 



" According to the accounts of the men in question," 

 M. Bedoire goes on to say, " it was from seeing the way 

 in which the fox at times secures his prey that they were 

 induced to adopt the plan spoken of, for that cunning 

 animal in the autumn resorts to a similar ruse to capture 

 young ducks. He then promenades near to the water's 

 edge, sometimes vaulting high in air, and at others 

 crawling on his belly, his brush in the while trailing along 

 the ground. These manoeuvres of his so excite the curiosity 



