VARIOUS KINDS OF GUNNING-PUNTS 283 



a skilled man to do the sailing, or a mishap will very likely 

 occur, and, just before taking a shot, the boat must be brought 

 skilfully round half to windward ; and, as the fowl meanwhile 

 are rising head to wind, you gain a few yards on them. 



Other craft requisitioned by the wildfowler are the gondola 

 and "sneak-boat." They are both used for cruising about 

 the shallows in hope of a shot with a big shoulder gun, such 

 as a single 4-bore. The gondola is generally used by wild- 

 fowlers on the tide. The sneak-boat (which is a miniature 

 gondola, but decked round a cockpit, so that brushwood, etc., 

 may be erected as a screen for the shooter) is more generally 

 used on fresh water, such as flooded lands, carrs, meres, lakes, 

 etc. The gondola may be made of any size, ranging from 

 13 ft. to 24 ft. long, and a corresponding beam of from 



3 ft. to 4 ft. to suit the number of gunners she is to carry. 



As our subject refers to swivel-gun shooting, and the use 

 of gondolas is confined to shoulder guns, we cannot go beyond 

 the mere dimensions of a gondola and a few hints on them. 

 We give the following dimensions for the gondola. She may 

 be reduced 6 ft. in length for two shooters, 9 ft. for one shooter, 

 but in no case where she is to be used on the tide should her 

 length be less than 13 ft. For shooting she will be best made 

 sharp at both ends, then she may be shoved either way when 

 in narrow places, not square-sterned, as in the usual type of 

 gondola. 



Gondola to carry three shooters : — Length over all, 24 ft. ; 

 length on bottom, 22 ft. ; beam over gunwale, amidships, 



4 ft. 9 in. ; width over bottom, amidships, 3 ft. 3 in. ; height 

 at stem, 2 ft. ; height at stern, i ft. 10 in. ; height of sides, 

 amidships, i ft. 9 in. ; spring fore and aft on bottom, 5 in. ; 

 kammel athwartships, i^ in. ; three seats, 8 in. by i^ in. ; floor 

 timbers of oak, 3 in. by i^ in. ; floor planks, i in. thick. 

 Knees of American elm ; bottom of yellow pine ; sides 

 clinker-built of ^ in. yellow pine. 



