128 
NATURAL HISTORY. 
who keeps hidden behind one of the hedges. When they 
have got up the pipe, however, finding it grow more and 
more narrow, they begin to suspect danger, and would return 
back ; but they are now prevented by the man, who shews 
himself at the broad end below. Thither, therefore, they 
dare not return ; and rise they may not, as they are kept by 
the net above from ascending. The only way left them, 
therefore, is the narrow-funneled net at the bottom; into this 
they fly, an there they are taken. 
It often happens, however, that the wild fowl are in such a 
state of sleepiness or dozing, that they will not follow the 
decoy ducks. Use is then generally made of a dog who is 
taught his lesson. He passes backward and forward between 
the reed-hedges, in which there are little holes, both for the 
decoy man to see, anti for the little dog to pass through. 
This attracts the eye of the wild fowl ; who, prompted by- 
curiosity, advance towards this little animal, while he all the 
time keeps playing among the reeds, nearer and nearer the 
funnel, till they follow him too far to recede. Sometimes the 
dog will not attract their attention tiil a red handkerchief 
or something very singular, he put about him. The decoy 
ducks never enter the funnel net with the rest, being taught 
to dive under water as soon as the rest are driven in. 
To this manner of taking wild fowl in England, we will 
subjoin another still more extraordinary, frequently practised 
in China. Whenever the fowler sees a number of ducks set- 
tled in any particular plash of water, lie sends oft’ two or three 
gourds to Hoat among them. These gourds resemble our 
pompions; hut, being made hollow, they swim on the surface 
of the water; and on one pool there may sometimes be seen 
twenty or thirty of these gourds Hoating together. The fowl at 
first are a little shy at coining near them; but by degrees they 
come nearer; and as all birds at last grow familiar with a 
scare-crow, the ducks gather about these, and amuse them- 
selves by whetting their bills against them. When the birds 
are as familiar with the gourds as the fowler could wish, he 
then prepares to deceive them in good earnest. He hollows 
out one of these gourds large enough to put his head in; and, 
making holes to breathe and see through, he claps it on his 
head. Thus accoutred, he wades slowly into the water, 
keeping his body under, and nothing but his head in the 
gourd above the surface : and in that manner moves imper- 
ceptibly towards the fowls, who suspect no danger. At last, 
however, he fairly gets in among them ; while they, having 
been long used to see gourds, take not the least fright while 
the enemy is in the very midst of them; and an insidious 
