The Confessions of a 'Poacher. 29 



of delicate teal, mallard and widgeon. Another 

 successful method of taking seafowl was by 

 the "fly" or "ring" net. When there was 

 but little or no moon these were set across 

 the banks last covered by the tide. The 

 nets were made of fine thread, and hung 

 on poles from ten to twenty yards apart. Care 

 had to be taken to do this loosely, so as to give 

 the nets plenty of " bag." Sometimes we had 

 these nets hung for half a mile along the mud 

 flats, and curfew, whimbrel, geese, ducks, and 

 various shore-haunting birds were taken in 

 them. Sometimes a bunch of teal, flying down 

 wind, would break right through the net and 

 escape. This, however, was not a frequent 

 occurrence. 



There is one kind of poaching, which, as a 

 lad, I was forbidden, and I have never indulged 

 in it from that day to this. This was egg 

 poaching, In our own district it was carried 

 on to a large extent, though I never heard 

 of it until the artificial rearing of game 

 came in. The squire's keeper will give six- 

 pence each for pheasants' eggs, and fourpence 



