202 THE SHELDRAKE. 



expressing any fear. The Duck-catcher, particu- 

 larly when from the state of the wind, or situation 

 of the birds, he observes the calabashes floating near 

 a flock, goes into the lake, with a calabash over his 

 head, having holes in it for seeing and breathing. 

 Nothing is seen above the water except the calabash, 

 the Indian taking care to keep the whole of his 

 body immersed. He now steals slowly and quietly 

 towards the unsuspecting birds, and when within 

 arm's length, catches one of them by the leg, and 

 twitches it suddenly under water, before it has time 

 to alarm the rest, by crying or fluttering its wings. 

 He then moves towards another, which he treats in 

 the same way, and so on, till he has collected as 

 many as he can conveniently carry, attached to a 

 belt round his middle, and then he slowly retires, 

 leaving the floating calabashes amongst the Ducks. 

 On another part of the coast the same expedient is 

 practised, excepting that, instead of a calabash, they 

 use a sort of cap made of rushes, similar caps being 

 left to float amongst the flocks of Ducks, to which 

 they soon get as much accustomed as those we first 

 mentioned do to the calabashes. 



The Sheldrakes, which, as we have seen, build in 

 rabbit-burrows, are caught by snares placed before 

 the hole, into which the birds are traced by the 

 marks of their feet on the sand. In this country, 

 our markets are supplied either by those who are 

 in the habit of shooting them, as a livelihood during 

 the Winter season, or from decoys, in which by far 

 the greater number are taken. In shooting, the 

 great difficulty is to get within gunshot, the Duck 

 not only being very watchful and timid, but pos- 



