386 FRENCH HUT-SHOOTING. 



perience ended here, therefore, I should have had but 

 little inducement to recommend the French system. 

 But I have since imported the French brojBd of decoy 

 ducks ; tried it in England ; and find, that, by this 

 means, a gentleman with his little gun may sit at his 

 ease, and kill more wildfowl, than by any other plan 

 I have ever seen ; and without the risk of driving the 

 fowl entirely away from his pond, which he would be 

 liable to do by any other mode of shooting. 



In this shooting, let it be remembered, that the 

 ducks usually quit the large ponds at night, and 

 therefore the huts for them must be made round the 

 smaller waters, where they feed. But for the dun- 

 birds, and all kinds of curres, the large pond will be 

 the best place, as they seldom leave it ; and, if not 

 too hard pressed, they may be driven like sheep (by 

 means of a person paddling to and fro, at a distance ; 

 and occasionally making a little noise), either by 

 night or day, towards any of the batteries which the 

 shooter may choose to open on them. 



Coots may be driven in like manner, but will not 

 double up for a shot, like the others. Ducks and 

 mallards will not allow you to drive them ; but on the 

 first alarm will generally take wing. 



As a proof of the superiority of the French decoy 

 birds to the common English ducks, I need only men- 

 tion, that a few winters ago, when I sent over some 

 of them to Lord Rodney, for his beautiful pond at 

 Alresford, Mr. Sparry, the bailiff, in order to secure 

 them, for the night on which they came, put them 



