VARIOUS KINDS OF GUNNING-PUNTS 281 



far as lines are concerned, is still to be seen produced in new 

 work — bad points along with the good. And it is at the 

 bad points we are most astonished. Nay, they stick to what 

 has served one, saying, *' If it did for him, it will for me" ; 

 and there the matter ends. We cannot make reference to all 

 the kinds of punts to be found around the British coasts, but 

 we refer to a few as instances. The qualifications of each 

 type of punt cannot be discussed, nor its suitability remarked 

 upon, beyond stating that they all shoot wildfowl, and their 

 variation of type is wider than the natural differences of wild- 

 fowling quarters. 



The punts of the old punt-shooters of the Greatham 

 Marshes (now reclaimed), on the north side of the Tees 

 mouth, were invariably half-decked, medium length, single 

 over-side paddling craft. This type still exists on the Tees, 

 though real punting is a thing of the past there now. At the 

 Humber mouth, and on the north-east and east coasts of 

 Lincolnshire, a punt resembling a tiny gondola is used by the 

 professional shooters. These punts have no deck — simply a 

 beam to rest the gun on. On the higher reaches of the 

 Humber the punts have a fore and aft deck, and sometimes 

 side decks. On the Wash is seen a long, narrow kind of 

 punt with deck and cockpit. This is known as the Lynn 

 punt. In Ireland, peculiar shooting craft are to be seen at 

 Wexford. These are known as floats, and the gunners are 

 floatmen. These punts are very much like those to be seen 

 in Lincolnshire, having no deck, but differing by carrying the 

 gun farther forward and projecting a greater length over the 

 stem of the boat. Some of the craft mentioned are good at 

 their work, but most of them are bad sea-boats. They are all 

 fickle, and need practice to handle. 



When fowling open and dangerous waters from the shore, 

 it is wise to have in attendance a following-boat. This should 

 be particularly heeded if the grounds are new to the fowlers. 



