THE MALLARD. 



117 



placed in the following manner — jlliiiw From the 



end of the last shooting, a person cannot see the lake, owing to 

 the bend of the pipe: there is then no farther occasion for shel- 

 ter. Were it not for those shootings, the fowl that remain about 

 the mouth of the pipe would be alarmed, if the person driving the 

 fowl already under the net should be exposed, and would become 

 so shy as to forsake the place entirely. The first thing the decoy- 

 man does when he approaches the pipe, is to take a piece of lighted 

 turf or peat and hold it near his mouth, to prevent the fowl smell- 

 ing him. He is attended by a dog taught for the purpose of assist- 

 ing him : he walks very silently about half way up the shootings, 

 where a small piece of wood is thrust through the reed fence, wliich 

 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 lay down still behind the fence, and goes forward to the end of 

 the pipe next the lake, where he takes ofl* 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. Tiie 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 till they come to the 



VOL. VIII. E 



