436 



Journal of the Asiatic Society of BeugaL [June, 1907. 



on and fastened to peg D. In the same manner it is fastened on 

 the other side to E aiid C 



The lower or finer line in the net is thus, on the visrht-haud 

 side, drawn tight from A to F and D. The spare end-edge of the net 

 should be just about the distance BD which makes the lower line 

 from D to peg B also taut, or almost taut. This line was pre- 

 viously fastened to peg B, and is carried on up the upright to its 

 tip, where it, the lower and finer line, joins the upper and stouter 

 line. The lower line is treated in the same way on the other side. 



When properly laid out, the lower line is just under the upper 

 line; both lines are taut, and the net is gathered up close be- 

 tween the two lines. 



When the pull-line is pulled, both sides of the net should rise 

 up simultaneously; and the puller should keep the pull-line taut, 

 while he walks up towards the net: the uprights are thus kept stand- 

 ing (Fig. III). The upper line AFD (Fig. Ill) should be taut, 



Fig. III. 



and the lower line which is fastened to A, and passing on, is 

 fastened to the pej^s F and D (Fig. I), is also fastened to the peg 

 B (Fig. Ill), being then carried along up to the tip of the upright 



The pull-litie is of wire and not rope, as the latter stretches. 

 With 60 yards of pull-line one man shoiildbe able, if the nets are 

 well laid, to pull the nets single-handed. If the nets do not rise 

 readily, reset them ; see that the butts of the uprights are lower 

 tlian their tips, and cut shallow grooves for the butt-ends of the up- 

 rights to rest in, so that the butts may be well below the tips, and 

 the tips not more than 3 in. above ground level. 



Two small tanks, two or three inches deep, are made within the 

 nets when laid out. These contain live fish as a bait, or, for duck, 



gram. If the herons hesitate about settling within the nets, ten 

 or twelve live fish, about a finger-length in size, are pegged down 

 with a fine skewer. The fish must be just below the surface of 

 the water, and the spike must pass just behind the stomach, for, if it 

 passes through the stomach, the fish will die. The movements of 

 these fish just below the surface of the water will attract the atten- 

 tion of herons from a distance of thirty yards. 



To catch a solitary heron, one that has a fixed feeding ground, 

 a bagged heron is useful as a decoy. Its eyes should be ' seeled ' and 

 its ears carefully filled with cotton wool ; and three or four of the 

 flight-feathers of each wing should be tied together, the ends of the 



