DECOYING AND TRAPPING ANIMALS. 51 



dncks. The little animal should be encouraged to skip and bound over 

 the rocks and stones in front of the screens, and to flourish his tail about 

 with playful vivacity. He must never bark, for that would alarm the 

 fowl and cause them to fly away immediately. 



Eed or chestnut coloured dogs with long bushy tails are best for the 

 purpose of " toling " ; the nearer they approach a fox in colour and 

 appearance the better. 



Tubs may be sunk on tlie seasliore into wliicli tlie sliooter 

 gets at the approach of niglit (or even a "skip" or basket 

 may be used to sit on) to wait till flight time to procure 

 specim.ens ; but having myself sat in a marsh at night between 

 a river and the sea in N'orfolk more than once for several 

 hours during a very severe winter, I cannot recommend this 

 as a torrid amusement — indeed, the melancholy " sough " of 

 the sea, and the pale glitter of the stars in the half -frozen 

 pools, whose dead and dry sedges rustle in unison to the 

 icy blasts rushing from the dead white north, make even the 

 most hardy long for the old armchair by the cozy fireside. 



A writer in the Zoologist some years ago appeared to think 

 that iodine was a species of enchanter's wand in rendering 

 jour presence unknown to wildfowl. I have never tried it, 

 having but little faith in cunning nostrums concocted for the 

 taking of either birds or fish; but as he is a gentleman of 

 .standing and great experience, I will quote his words from 

 which I drew my inference : 



A cormorant once perched himself on my back as I lay concealed on a 

 a-ock enveloped in a drab drifing coat, which so closely resembled the 

 rock in colour that even he was deceived, and, taking my back as the 

 highest pinnacle, accommodated himself accordingly; neither did he 

 ■discover his error till my hand grasped him by the legs. I have frequently 

 had cormorants and fchags perched around me within a iewfeet; but 

 their suspicions seemed generally to be aroused by human smell, unless 

 I had rubbed iodine on some part of my clothes. 



The landrail or corncrake, whose peculiar rasping cry we 

 hear in the grass or young corn in the spring of the year, is 

 easily called to the gun by rubbing one notched bone over 

 another, or, better still, using that peculiar instrument of 

 torture worked at fairs, and called a " scratchback " — the same 



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