6‘26 
The above is a most interesting catalogue of the numerous 
out-door occupations of a Fen-man, and of the modes and engines 
formerly used in fishing and fowling. It is impossible here even 
to enumerate, much more to describe in detail the various forms 
of nets and snares employed at the time Hall wrote, or the 
ingenious resources made use of for approaching fowl, as well 
as the multifarious nets and devices for capturing the fish which 
so abounded; but much interesting information with regard to 
fowling and bird-netting in the Fens and on the shores of the 
Wash will he found in Mr. Stevenson’s ‘Birds of ISTorfolk’ 
(vol. ii. p. Ill, ei scq.,) and in the late Mr. Dawson Eowlty’s 
‘ Ornithological Miscellany ’ for July, 1877 (part 10, pp. 354 — 373) ; 
also in Folkard’s ‘The Wildfowler’ (third edition), chapters 
ii. and iii. Of his winter occupation Hall says nothing ; hut, 
doubtless, reed-cutting occupied much of his time; his domestic 
Geese also required his attention, and these, with the Duck decoy, 
would provide ample employment for the shortened days. During 
frosty weather, constant attention was required at night, after 
the decoy had “ risen,” to break and remove the ice, thus keeping 
the water open as an attraction for the Ducks, without which 
they would desert the decoy in hard weather. Subsequently 
Hall set up as a cow-leech, and ended his days as a dealer in 
second-hand hooks at Lynn, his ‘Antiquarian Library’ being 
situated near the “Globe Hotel,” in a street leading from the 
Tuesday Market-place to Common Staithe Quay. 
Until of late years Goose-keeping formed one of the great 
industries of the Fens, and found employment for a race of aquatic 
shepherds known as “ Gozzards ” or Gooseherds. These men bred 
the Geese in the Fens, and, as the shepherds of the land have their 
sheep-shearing, so had they their goose-plucking ; the one flock 
yielding wool, the other feathers. This cruel process was performed 
four or five times a year. Pennant says they were plucked five times 
in the year, the first plucking at Lady-day being for both body and 
wing feathers, the remaining four for body feathers only. Even 
goslings of six weeks old were not spared, their tails were 
plucked “ to habituate tliem early to what they were to come to.” 
It was also believed that early plucking tended to increase the 
succeeding growth of feathers. Of course it was asserted that the 
operation was painless; but all authorities agree that in cold weather 
