THE FASCINATIOX OF LIGHT 321 



combustible matter, then must you beat those 

 bushes where you think birds are at roost ; which 

 done, if there be any there, you will instantly see 

 them fly about the flames. For it is their nature 

 through their amazedness at the strangeness of the 

 light and extreme darkness round about it, not to 

 depart from it. They will even scorch their wings 

 in the same, so that those who have the bushy 

 poles may beat them down as they please." 



The Indians of Washington territory, depend- 

 ing largely upon fish and wildfowl for their sub- 

 sistence, used formerly to kill ducks at night with 

 spears by the light of a fire kindled in a boat. 

 This was occupied by two men, one to use the 

 spear, the dther to paddle ; the process is now 

 varied by using a gun instead of a spear. 



In France, a popular method in Burgundy of 

 killing wildfowl was by means of a metal reflector 

 or r^verbere. It was usually in the shape of a 

 copper pan suspended from the neck of the 

 operator, who caused the flame of several oil wicks 

 to be reflected by the copper on the surface of the 

 water, when the wildfowl swimming into the light 

 were shot. Labruyere, a French writer on the 

 wiles of poaching, who assisted at such a proceed- 

 ing on the banks of the Durance, states that he 

 saw fifteen ducks shot in this way in one evening.^ 



Similarly, with the aid of fire, are salmon killed 

 in Scotland by the process known to river poachers 

 as " burning the water." It has been thus 

 described by an eye-witness : — 



1 Labruyere, Les Ruses de Braconnage. 



