446 THE FOWLER IN IRELAND. 



gun from at any time bruising the deck at this 

 place by resting on it. Many fowlers build their 

 punts with an absurd rake of stem and stem- 

 nearly a foot to each end sometimes. This only 

 gives more surface to catch the wind without any 

 increase of space, power, or buoyancy. The 

 floor-timbers and knees of a punt can be placed 

 alongside each other or apart ; that is, the knees 

 halfway between every timber. If so placed, they 

 must meet and cross as well as be riveted together 

 a few inches at the centre of the floor. If placed 

 alongside the timbers, a pair of knees to each other 

 timber, and riveted to both them and the floor (as in 

 breadth plan of gondola, Plate 16, page 474), they 

 need only just meet. In a stout floor of f-in. 

 substance, they may be put between the timbers, 

 which need not then be so close together or 

 numerous : this, though giving slight additional 

 lightness, does not so well assure the strength of 

 the craft. More spring than 2|in. or 2fin. on a 

 punt's floor, would make her a better sea-boat ; but 

 then her stem would be slightly out of the water, 

 and as the wavelets met it, cause a slapping noise 

 that would alarm fowl when setting to them ; as 

 well as render a punt liable to spin on her centre 

 when driving her in a beam wind to birds. 



The stem of a single punt should come just as 

 far inside along the floor as in a double ; if it fits 

 over a knee or timber, all the better for strength. 



The back recoil-rope to a gun may be loose at 

 both ends, one end tied to an eye, under the stock 

 (a hook would snap off), the other end hitched taut 

 to a ring-bolt fastened to a slab of oak riveted to 



