lxxxvi 



PROLEGOMENA 



that the practice of setting ' wiles ' for Ducks became obsolete 

 about the year 1865, at least in the neighbourhood of Allonby. 

 The only ' wile ' that he ever himself set, caught a Wigeon, but 

 it proved to be a pinioned bird which had escaped from his own 

 farm. His relative, Mr. William Timperon, assures me that he 

 caught many Ducks in 'wiles' set on the 'runners' of the mosses. 

 He enjoys the pleasure of reciting how he caught a loafing 

 fellow in the act of stealing Ducks out of his own snares, with 

 the result that the offender was promptly soused in the beck. 

 This incident happened fifty years ago. The pranks of such 



THE ' WILE. 



light-fingered gentlemen were generally frustrated by the custom 

 of marking every 'wile ' with the initials of its owner. 



Allusion has already been made to the practice of snaring 

 Woodcock, as described by Pennant in 1772 (see p. 371). 

 When staying at Eusland Hall, I had the pleasure of hearing 

 a description of the practical working of the ' sprint ' used in 

 Lakeland, from the lips of Richard Holme, gamekeeper to Mr. 



