VARIOUS KINDS OF GUNNING-PUNTS_ 281 
far as lines are concerned, is still to be seen produced in new 
work—bad points along with the good. And it is at the 
bad points we are most astonished. Nay, they stick to what 
has served one, saying, ‘‘If it did for him, it will for me” ; 
and there the matter ends. We cannot make reference to all 
the kinds of punts to be found around the British coasts, but 
we refer to a few as instances. The qualifications of each 
type of punt cannot be discussed, nor its suitability remarked 
upon, beyond stating that they all shoot wildfowl, and their 
variation of type is wider than the natural differences of wild- 
fowling quarters. 
The punts of the old punt-shooters of the Greatham 
Marshes (now reclaimed), on the north side of the Tees 
mouth, were invariably half-decked, medium length, single 
over-side paddling craft. This type still exists on the Tees, 
though real punting is a thing of the past there now. At the 
Humber mouth, and on the north-east and east coasts of 
Lincolnshire, a punt resembling a tiny gondola is used by the 
professional shooters. These punts have no deck—simply a 
beam to rest the gun on. On the higher reaches of the 
Humber the punts have a fore and aft deck, and sometimes 
side decks. On the Wash is seen a long, narrow kind of 
punt with deck and cockpit. This is known as the Lynn 
punt. In Ireland, peculiar shooting craft are to be seen at 
Wexford. These are known as floats, and the gunners are 
floatmen. These punts are very much like those to be seen 
in Lincolnshire, having no deck, but differing by carrying the 
gun farther forward and projecting a greater length over the 
stem of the boat. Some of the craft mentioned are good at 
their work, but most of them are bad sea-boats. They are all 
fickle, and need practice to handle. 
When fowling open and dangerous waters from the shore, 
it is wise to have in attendance a following-boat. This should 
be particularly heeded if the grounds are new to the fowlers. 
