436 THE FOWLER IN IRELAND. 



and more fanciful than useful. (For suitable rudder 

 see Plate 14, page 471.) 



Clothes. To a duck-shooter this is no insigni- 

 ficant subject, not alone as regards his health, but 

 with respect to his success in the sport he seeks. 

 A shooter may dress lightly and feel a chill but now 

 and then fora few seasons. He will, perhaps, boast 

 of his hardiness and freedom from ailment ; but he 

 may rest assured that for every shiver he will have 

 acute rheumatic pains in later days, should he live 

 much beyond middle age. The great enemy to a 

 duck-shooter's health is rain and wind combined ; 

 and fresh-water shooting is for this reason less 

 preferable than the tide. Salt-water, with common 

 care, does little harm. Rain, or fresh-water, is the 

 father of rheumatism. Flannel (grey is best) from 

 skin to coat, and plenty of it, is the one and only 

 safeguard as to future strength in years to come. 

 Flannel soaked is no doubt heavy, and far from 

 waterproof, but it is not as cloth in the same state, 

 and has good qualities in wet or cold no cloth ever 

 made can pretend to. As an overall, a short white 

 duck-jacket must be worn for the sake of colour ; 

 flannel soon looks dark from surface dirt, at a short 

 distance. Duck will wash well, wear well, and is 

 no bad stuff to turn wet either. 



Thin waterproof oilskin trousers, reaching to the 

 knee, no farther, or they will be in the way. These 

 should be always worn, as the floor of a punt is 

 never quite dry, and often very wet, when you lie 

 down to approach fowl. As to head gear, a round 

 white cap with a small peak or a very narrow 

 brim is best, and answers well if made from a 



