450 THE FOWLER IN IRELAND. 



they begin to get wall-sided, as they cannot but do, 

 as the stem and stern are neared. When the flare 

 is continued the whole length beginning, in fact, 

 from the very points of the craft it gives her far 

 greater stability and life in the water, whether pull- 

 ing, paddling-, or sailing, and, as a secondary consi- 

 deration, a much more graceful outline. With an 

 upright cutwater and stern, the top of the stem is, 

 by necessity, the same width as the bottom ; there- 

 fore the deck and floor are of equal breadth, and 

 the sides quite upright for some distance. 



With a sloping stem and stern, the surface or 

 upper part is the widest, and the sides then take 

 a flare at the start. With a heavy gun in propor- 

 tion to the punt you intend to build, the more the 

 sides are flared out forward the easier your craft 

 will carry the extra weight. As the stem of a 

 fowling-punt is the very " corner-stone " of its con- 

 struction, I here give several cuts to illustrate its 

 formation. 



STEM OF FOWLING-PUNT. 



To be cut from cross-grained English oak or elm, for should grain 

 run with stem the wood is apt to split after a time. 



The stem should be not less than ift. loin, to 2ft. 4in. long, and 

 3in. to 4-in. across where cut down to receive end of centre fore-deck 

 plank ; 6in. to yin. on face to this point, and 3in. to 4in. of substance 

 along which to nail sides and deck upon. 



