WATER FOWL. 429 



ordinary, frequently practised in China. When- 

 ever the fowler sees a number of ducks settled in 

 any particular plash of water, he sends off two or 

 three gourds to float among them. These gourds 

 resemble our pompions ; but being made hollow, 

 they swim on the surface of the water, and on 

 one pool there may sometimes be seen twenty or 

 thirty of these gourds floating together. The 

 fowl at first are a little shy of coming near them ; 

 but by degrees they come nearer ; and as all birds 

 at last grow familiar with a scare-crow, the ducks 

 gather about these, and amuse themselves by 

 whetting their bills against them. When the 

 birds are as familiar with the gourds as the fowler 

 could wish, he then prepares to deceive them in 

 good earnest. He hollows out one of those 

 gourds large enough to put his head in ; and 

 making holes to breathe and see through, he 

 claps it on his head. Thus accoutred, he wades 

 slowly into the water, keeping his body under, 

 and nothing but his head in the gourd above the 

 surface ; and in that manner moves impercepti- 

 bly towards the fowls, who suspect no danger. 

 At last, however, he fairly gets in among them ; 

 while they, having been long used to see gourds, 

 take not the least fright while the enemy is in the 

 very midst of them : and an insidious enemy he 

 is ; for ever as he approaches a fowl, he seizes it 

 by the legs, and draws it in a jerk under water. 

 There he fastens it under his girdle, and goes to 

 the next, till he has thus loaded himself with as 

 many as he can carry away. When he has got 



