THE MALLARD. 191 



" Iii the lakes where they resort," says the corres- 

 pondent of that ingenious author, " the most favourite 

 haunts of the fowl are observed: then, in the most 

 sequestered part of this haunt, they cut a ditch about 

 four yards across at the entrance, and about fifty or 

 sixty yards in length, decreasing gradually in width 

 from the entrance to the farther end, which is not more 

 than two feet wide. It is of a circular form, but not 

 bending much for the first ten yards. The banks of 

 the lake, for about ten yards on each side of this ditch 

 (or pipe, as it is called) are kept clear from reeds, coarse 

 herbage, &c. in order that the fowl may get on them to 

 sit and dress themselves. Across this ditch, poles on 

 each side, close to the edge of the ditch, are driven into 

 the ground, and the tops bent to each other and tied 

 fast. These poles at the entrance form an arch, from 

 the top of which to the water is about ten feet. This 

 arch is made to decrease in height, as the ditch decreases 

 in width, till the farther end is not more than eighteen 

 inches in height. The poles are placed about six feet 

 from each other, and connected together by poles laid 

 lengthwise across the arch and tied together. Over 

 them a net, with meshes sufficiently small to prevent 

 the fowl getting through, is thrown across, and made 

 fast to a reed fence at the entrance, and nine or ten 

 yards up the ditch, and afterwards strongly pegged to 

 the ground. At the farther end of the pipe, a tunnel 

 net, as it is called, is fixed, about four yards in length, 

 of a round form, and kept open by a number of hoops 

 about eighteen inches in diameter, placed at a small 

 distance from each other, to keep it distended. Supposing 

 the circular bend of the pipe to be to the right, when you 

 stand with your back to the lake, on the left hand side 

 a number of reed fences are constructed, called shootings, 

 for the purpose of screening from sight the decoy-man, 

 and in such a manner, that the fowl in the decoy may 

 not be alarmed while he is driving those in the pipe : 

 these shootings are about four yards in length, and about 

 six feet high, and are ten in number. They are placed 

 in the following manner 

 6 



