EXPLANATION OF PLATE. 375 



to many gentlemen, and it is but doing justice to 

 an ingenious man to say, that, for building a boat, 

 yacht, &c. I have never yet met with any one who 

 could beat Mr. Thomas Inman, of Lymington. He 

 removed to that place from Hastings. 



I will now conclude here with explaining the ap- 

 parent inconsistencies of the plate by a dialogue, a 

 la Walton: 



Critic. Why put all your wounded geese swimming 

 one way ? 



Author. Because geese, directly they are wounded, 

 always make for the heaviest sea. 



Critic. Admit that : but why have you made birds 

 falling where no gun is fired ? 



Author. Because, in wildfowl shooting, one third 

 of the birds that are mortally wounded fly off ap- 

 parently unhurt, and then drop suddenly from the 

 flock. 



Critic. Why is your wounded curlew on his legs, 

 and the goose unable to dive, while the winged hooper 

 is able to swim ? 



Author. Because the mud being convex, in some 

 places, the water that flows over it is only about three 

 inches deep there; while it may be nearly a foot 

 deep a few yards further ; and the web-footed bird 

 always makes for the deep, while the wader seeks the 

 shallow, water. 



Before dismissing the plate, too, I should explain, 

 that the man, who is taking the passing shot, is 

 sketched for Buckle, with his punt : the yawl is with 



