CONTENTS. 



INTRODUCTION, PAGE xv. Various branches of the sport hitherto unexplained 

 Colonel Hawker's treatise on guns and shooting Abundance of wild-fowl in 

 foreign countries The sport but little understood Wild-fowling, its importance 

 to emigrants Success in the art easily acquired Tantalizing feeling on be- 

 holding thousands of birds and not knowing how to capture them The true 

 principles upon which thousands of wild-fowl may be captured Secrets of the 

 flight-pond hitherto in total obscurity Bibliothecal researches Old-fashioned 

 winters Favoured localities Improvements since Colonel Hawker's time 

 Vulgar errors respecting wild-fowl. 



CHAP. I., PAGE 1. FOWLING. Saxon dialogue upon Habits of wild-fowl 

 their subtlety and discipline Wild-fowl the most attractive, varied, and nume- 

 rous of the feathered creation as a dietary article Ancient and modern contri- 

 vances for capturing Errors of modern sportsmen Ancient and modern terms 

 applicable to the art of wild-fowling. 



CHAP. II., PAGE 7. ANCIENT METHODS OF CAPTURING WILD-FOWL. 

 Greek fowlers The argumentum Panthera Curbaculum Feathered 

 jerkins Hair-nooses and springes of the Anglo-Saxons Archery Falconry as 

 formerly practised in the fens Method of netting wild-fowl invention of guns 

 Singular artifices for capturing wild-ducks and cranes Flue nets. 



CHAP. III., PAGE 17. ANCIENT FOWLING (continued). Mode of capturing 

 wild-fowl with lime-strings and lime-twigs Poisonous drugs formerly used for 

 fowling Destructive system of fowling during the moulting season extraordi- 

 nary numbers taken Legislative interference. 



CHAP. IV., PAGE 25. EGYPTIAN FOWLING. Ancient Egyptians their de- 

 light in field-sports their skill with bow and arrow the " throw stick " dex- 

 terous performances Aunt Sally A feline retriever Egyptian fowling boats, 

 nets, and traps. 



CHAP. V., PAGE 30. THE HISTORY OF DECOYS earliest traces of interest- 

 ing details formerly considered the most attractive sport in the world Dutch 

 decoys earliest traces of the invention " Coy-ducks " Rustic style of ancient 

 decoys Fowlers of the Netherlands Erroneous impressions of writers upon 

 the subject. 



CHAP. VI., PAGE 37. HISTORY OF DECOYS (continued) extensively em- 

 ployed both at home and abroad Lincolnshire decoys Drainage of fens in- 

 jurious to decoys Immense numbers of wild-fowl formerly captured in Lin- 

 colnshire fens and Norfolk broads Decoy a valuable appurtenant to an estate 

 Golden days of decoy large profits Modern decoys Peculiar pleasures at- 

 tached to decoys. 



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