i62 THE COMPLETE WILDFOWLER 



stand a heavy strain. Its length may be between five and six 

 feet, according to the size of punt it is to be used aboard. 



One of the most handy articles in punting is a small boat- 

 hook. It may be employed for many things besides that in- 

 dispensable purpose it serves of holding the punt up to shore, 

 etc. Along under the bank of a deep creek, where sculling is 

 impracticable, and the setting-pole too long and clumsy to 

 manipulate, a stiff, short boat-hook will be found a useful 

 article with which to push the punt. The construction 

 of a boat-hook is simple. A wrought-iron end, with two 

 prongs at right angles to each other, fixed in the iron ferrule- 

 shod end of a round ash pole, about i:^ inches in diameter, and 

 about six feet in length, completes the boat-hook. 



We figure a folding grapnel. This lies snugly in a punt, 

 and perhaps that is all which can be said in its favour. To 

 undertake to undo a folding anchor covered with mud is never 

 pleasant. We prefer a small ordinary three- or four-prong 

 grapnel, which is the essence of simplicity, and is all that is 

 required, besides stowing away in the punt easily enough. Our 

 chief reason for mentioning this tool is "due to the fact that 

 many of its kind are used by punt-shooters. Anchors, like 

 rudders, are almost endless of design. We dread to mention 

 some of the curious grapnels we have seen used in punts. 

 Loose-head lever cranks to mushroom heads and drag rods 

 might all be included in the anchor category of the inventive 

 punter's grapnel. The folding anchor here depicted may be 

 forged and fitted for the wildfowler by any country blacksmith 

 whose tools extend to a common set of stocks and dies. 



One is ever anxious to reduce manual labour to a minimum. 

 In doing so we seek the assistance of mechanical devices and 

 ingenious tools to assist us. This is particularly true in regard 

 to punting, as the latter sport involves a good deal of hard 

 work, if the shooter is one who intends to take the bull by the 

 horns and pit his strength against the task from the very start 



