lay them up for another time, only new daubing
them with fresh Bird-Lime.
You may make use of these Strings or Lines
for the taking Water-Fowl, and then use the best
and strongest Water Bird Lime, such as before
shewed you. These Strings must be laid over the
Rivers, Ponds, or Plashes of Water where you de∣sign
to take any, which must be in such places
where their Haunts are, and let the said Strings
almost touch the Water, and as thick laid as be∣fore [ 10]
noted for Land Fowl. And be sure to take this
Caution, not to use these Strings in Moonshine-nights;
For the Shadow of the Lines will create a jealousy
in the Fowl and so frustrate your Sport.
Of the great and lesser Springes.
SPringes are thus made, and thus to be ac∣commodated; [ 20]
First, well knowing the Fowls
Haunts, and the places where the Flocks or Cou∣ples
of great Fowl do usually feed in the Morn∣ings
or Evenings, and observing well the Fur∣rows
and Water-Tracts, where they usually stalk
and paddle for Worms, Flot-Grass, Roots, and such
like things on which they feed; and be sure to
observe where several Furrows or Water-Drains
meet into one, and after a small course divide
themselves again into other Parts or Branches; [ 30]
this middle part being the deepest, and as it
were feeding the rest; and also observe which is
most padled, and fittest for them to wade in,
and such are the most likelyest places for your
purpose. Then take small and short Sticks, and
prick them cross-wise overthwart all the other
Passages, one Stick within about half an Inch of
each other making as it were a kind of Fence
to guard every way but one, which you would
have the Fowl to pass. [ 40]
All Ways except one being thus hemmed out,
take a good stiff Stick cut flat on one side, and
pricking both Ends into the Water, make the
Upper part of the Flat-side of the Stick to
touch the Water, and no more; Then make a
Bow of small Hazel or Willow in the fashion of a
Pear, broad and round at one end, and narrow
at the other, and at least a foot long, and five or
six Inches wide, and at the narrow End a little
small Nick or Dent; then take a good stiff
young grown Plant of Hazel, Elm, or Withew, [ 50]
being Rushy grown, and clean without Knots,
three or four Inches about at the Bottom, and
about an Inch at the Top; and having made
the Bottom-end sharp, fasten at the Top a very
strong Loop of about an hundred Horse-hairs,
plaited very fast together with strong Packthread,
and made so smooth and plyable to slip and
run at pleasure; and this Loop shall be of the
just quantity of the Hoop made Pear-wise, as [ 60]
before mentioned; Then hard by this Loop with
strong Horse-hair, within an Inch and an half of
the end of the Plant fasten a little broad but
thin Tricker, made sharp and equal at both Ends
after this proporti∣on.
And then the
bigger sharp End of
the
Plant being
thrust and fixed
into the Ground
close by the Edge
of the
Water, the
smallest End with
the
Loop and the
Tricker shall be
brought down to
the first
Bridge,
and then the
Hoop
made
Pear-wise being laid on the
Bridge, one
End of the
Tricker shall be set upon the Nick of
the
Hoop, and the other end against a Nick
made on the small End of the
Plate, which by
the violence and bend of the
Plant shall make
them stick and hold together until the
Hoop be
moved: This done, the
Loop shall be laid upon
the
Hoop in such fashion as the
Hoop is propor∣tioned;
then from each side of the
Hoop prick
little
Sticks, as aforesaid, as it were making an
impaled
Pathway to the
Hoop; and as you go
farther and farther from the
Hoop or
Spring, so
shall you widen the Way, that the
Fowl may be
entred a good way in before they perceive the
Fence. The first Entrance being about the wide∣ness
of an indifferent
Furrow, so that any
Fowl
falling, they may be enticed to go and wade
upon the same, where they shall no sooner touch
the
Spring with their
Head, Foot, or
Feathers, but
they shall be taken; and according to the strength
of the
Plant you may take any
Fowl both great
or small.
To take small Fowl with the Engine.
FOr the taking smaller Fowl with this En∣gine,
as the Snipe, Woodcock, Pewit, or the
like, that useth to feed in Wet and Marshy Grounds,
and amongst Water-furrows or Rillings, from
thence sucking the Fatness of the Soil, the De∣vice
and Engine is the same without alteration;
only it may be of much less strength and sub∣stance,
according to the Fowl it is set for, especi∣ally
the Sweeper or Main Plant, which as before
is prescribed to be of Hazel, Elm, or Withew;
or so in this case may be of Willow, Sallow, or
strong grown Osier, or any yielding Plant that
will bend, and come again to its own straitness.
And this kind of Engine is only for the Winter
Season, when much Wet is on the Ground: But
if there happen any great Frosts, so that you are
deprived of the Waters, then search out where
these standing Waters have any descents or small
Passages, so as by the swift Current the Water
is not frozen, and there set your Springes, and
the greater the Frost is, the apter are they to be
taken.