44 BROADLAND SPORT 



In " tubbing " decoys are frequently used with great success, 

 not only when shooting from tubs sunken in the ooze, but 

 also by means of the floating tub raft. This consists of a 

 float, or raft, of rough planks, encircled round a large and 

 spacious waterbutt, about 1 Jft. from its top, which is garnished 

 with grasses, weeds and mud, in order to make it resemble a 

 drifting island. In this bulky craft our sportsman launches 

 out into the estuary, lagoon, lake, or wherever his happy hunt- 

 ing-grounds may be, propelling his float by means of small 

 oars, from semi-circular sculling holes which are cut in the 

 edge on each side of the tub to take the place of row-locks. 

 Having paddled to a good position, the gunner either anchors 

 himself, or drifts promiscuously about, his decoys also being 

 either anchored or attached to his craft in such a way that in 

 drifting they go also. Some are actually placed on the raft 

 itself, and when all is arranged to his satisfaction he can 

 make himself at home in the interior of his tub, which, as a 

 rule, has ample room to carry many desirable little comforts. 



Very often, on spotting a goodly bunch of short- winged 

 fowl, the gunner will quietly and stealthily scull well to wind- 

 ward of them, and then allow himself to drift down into 

 their midst. Ducks, more especially mallard, are naturally 

 of a very inquisitive turn of mind, and when they see this 

 curious craft, which at first appears to them only a detached 

 portion of floating-rand,* with some of their feathered 

 brethren bobbing round it, they generally swim straight to- 

 wards it and fall victims to their own temerity. 



In this method of wildfowling we strongly advise the 

 shooter to carry a little peat in his tub with him, so he can 

 burn some of it when in the act of drifting towards the birds, 

 otherwise the exquisite sense of smell possessed by most wild- 

 fowl will soon put an end to his manoeuvres. 



In boisterous weather the tubman often lays an anchor to 

 windward with a free length of cable, by means of which he 

 can regulate himself to the desired distance from the shore 

 without emerging from his hide, and circumvent the danger 



* Spongy masses of aquatic vegetation peculiar to Norfolk. 



