40 T he Confessions of a Poacher. 



darkness, it had the appearance of a narrow 

 plash of water. The snipe were taken as they 

 came to feed on ground presumably contain- 

 ing food of which they were fond. As well 

 as woodcock and snipe, we took larks by 

 thousands. The panties for these we set some- 

 what differently than those intended for the 

 minor game birds. A main line, sometimes as 

 much as a hundred yards in length, was set 

 along the marsh ; and to this at short intervals 

 were attached a great number of loops of 

 horsehair in which the birds were strangled. 

 During the migratory season, or in winter 

 when larks are flocked, sometimes a hundred 

 bunches of a dozen each would be taken in a 

 single day. 



During the rigour of winter great flocks of 

 migratory ducks and geese came to the bay, 

 and prominent among them were immense 

 flocks of scoters. Often from behind an ooze 

 bank did we watch parties of these playing and 

 chasing each other over the crests of the 

 waves, seeming indifferent to the roughest seas. 

 The coming of the scoter brought flush times,. 



