92 THE WILD-FOWLER. 



though by no means a pleasing one to contemplate, to break the 

 slender neck of a pochard ; but it is not at all so simple as may be 

 imagined, and requires some considerable practice and experience to 

 perform it skilfully and expeditiously. It is done by wringing the head 

 round with the thumb and forefingers of the right hand, and then bend- 

 ing it sharply, meeting the action, with the left hand, by a sudden 

 jerk; but the two hands must act simultaneously, or the operation will 

 be performed in a bungling manner. 



Every fowler, whether a punter or decoyman, should become 

 familiar with this apparently cruel proceeding ; else, after taking a 

 goodly number of birds at the flight or decoy-pond, or making a good 

 shot at a paddling of wild-ducks, he will find it a difficult matter to 

 kill them with sufficient expedition, if at the decoy ; and if in a gun- 

 ning-punt, he will lose half his winged and wounded birds by wasting 

 much time in knocking them on the head after capture, instead of 

 breaking their necks ; every moment being of importance on such 

 occasions. A wild-duck is hard to kill, even after capture, in inex- 

 perienced hands; and however derogatory it may seem to the general 

 reader, for a sportsman to become proficient in so cold-blooded a 

 proceeding, it is nevertheless necessary that he should understand 

 the readiest means of finishing his captives with least suffering. A 

 thoroughly-accomplished fowler can wring the necks of five hundred 

 wild-fowl effectually in an hour. 



It would scarcely be credited by some men, inexperienced, that 

 there is sometimes very great difficulty in driving a flight of 

 dun-birds from a decoy-pond : they are often so obstinate as to 

 persist in remaining there ; and, notwithstanding the hallooing and 

 clamour of the flushers, they will, if they have the smallest sus- 

 picion of the fowler's intentions towards them, permit a gun to 

 be fired near them rather than take wing : and sometimes when 

 they have used the pond several days in perfect security, and 

 suddenly find themselves in a great state of apprehension, they 

 will swim rapidly in a body, round and round the pond, with 

 such velocity as to cause the water to stir like a whirlpool. It 

 is no uncommon practice for the flushers whose duty it is, at a 

 given signal, to put the birds up ; to get into a small boat, and thus, 

 by making their appearance at the head of the pond, waving their 

 hats, or by some such motion, the birds are generally induced to leave 

 by the apparently open route, where they are cunningly intercepted 

 by the fowler in the manner before stated. Drawing the bolt at the 



