THE MALLARD. 79 



is thrust througli the reed fence, which makes an aperture just- sufficient 

 to see if any fowl are in ; if not, he walks forward to see if any are 

 about the mouth of the pipe. If there are, he stops and makes a 

 motion to his dog, and gives him a piece of cheese or something to eat ; 

 upon receiving it he goes directly to a hole through the reed fence (No. 

 1), and the fowl immediately fly off the bank into the water ; the dog 

 returns along the bank between the reed fences and the pipe, and comes 

 out to his master at the hole (No. 2). The man now gives him another 

 reward, and he repeats his round again, till the fowl are attracted by 

 the motions of the dog, and follow him into the mouth of the pipe. 

 This operation is called working them. The man now retreats farther 

 back, working the dog at different holes till the fowl are sufficiently 

 under the net : he now commands his dog to lie down still behind the 

 fence, and goes forward to the end of the pipe next the lake, where he 

 takes off his hat and gives it a wave between the shooting ; all the fowl 

 under the net can see him, but none that are in the lake can. The 

 fowl that are in sight fly forward ; and the man runs forward to the 

 next shooting and waves his hat, and so on, driving them along til] 

 they come to the tunnel net, where they creep in : when they are all in, 

 he gives the net a twist, so as to prevent their getting back : he then 

 takes the net off from the end of the pipe with what fowl he may have 

 caught, and takes them out one at a time, and dislocates their necks 

 and hangs the net on again ; and all is ready for working again. 



" In this manner five or six dozen have been taken at one drift. 

 When the wind blows directly in or out of the pipe, the fowl seldom 

 work well, especially when it blows in. If many pipes are made in a 

 lake, they should be so constructed as to suit different winds. 



" Duck and Mallard are taken from August to June. Teal or Wigeon, 

 from October to March. Becks, Smee, Golden Eyes, Arps, Cricks, and 

 Pintails or Sea Pheasants, in March and April. 



"Poker Ducks are seldom taken, on account of their diving and 

 getting back in the pipe. 



" It may be proper to observe here, that the Ducks feed during the 

 night, and that all is ready prepared for this sport in the evening. The 

 better to entice the Ducks into the pipe, hemp seed is strewed occa- 

 sionally on the water. The season allowed by act of parliament for 

 catching these birds in this way, is from the latter end of October till 

 February. 



" Particular spots or decoys, in the fen countries, are let to the fowlers 

 at a rent of from five to thirty pounds per annum; and Pennant 

 instances a season in which thirty-one thousand two hundred Ducks, 

 including Teals and Wigeons, were sold in London only, from ten of 

 these decoys near Wainfieet, in Lincolnshire. Formerly, according to 

 Willoughby, the Ducks, while in moult and unable to fly, were driven 



