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The Chinese mode Of taking wild-fowl


with which the neighborhood Of Canton
abounds, is curious and somewhat un-
sportsmanlike. There is no missing fire;
no powder getting damp; no barrel burst
ing; nc bother with dogs; nothing bu,
sport, and no ssmistake." Whenever they
see quantity Of ducks settled in any par
ticular piece Of water, they send half q
dozen gourds to float among them. These
gourds resemble the pumpkins in England
but being followed out, they float on the
surface of the water. On large pools
they have twenty or thirty afloat. Al
first the fowl are shy at coming near them,
but BY degrees they set courage; and as
all birds at length grow familiar with a
scarecrow, they soon gather round them,
and amuse themselves by "whitting their
bilf' against them. When the birds get
pretty familiar with them, they then pre-
pare 10 deceive them more effectually. A
Chinese hollows out pumpkin which is
pretty large, and after making holes in il
to see and breathe through, he claps it on
his head. Thus accoutered, he wades
slowly into the water, keeping his body
under, and letting nothing be seen above
the surface but the pumpkin, in which is
his head. In. this manner he moves i'm
perceptibly towards the fowl, which sus-
poets no danger. A last he fairly gets
in amongst them; while they, having
been long used 70 see gourds, take
not the least alarm, even when the enemy
is in the very midst ofthem; who, when
ever he approaches a fowl, seizes it BY
the legs, and draws it with sportsman
like % jerk under the water. He then
fastens it to his girdle. and proceeds on to
the next victim, till he has loaded himself
with as many as he can fairly (?) walk Of
with.--Froa Capt. Pidding's Chinese Olic
and Tea Talk, No. IA.