"hessian hide" and "hessian cloth", not in OED

Joel S. Berson Berson at ATT.NET
Wed Oct 13 17:24:34 UTC 2010


"Hessian hide" -- a blind to hide behind, to shoot (boo!) or observe
(ray!) birds; presumably with sides of hessian cloth in which holes
can be cut.  About 18 Google Books hits, the earliest I saw being:

(1)  Australian nature stories.  Ronald K. Monro - 1947 (WorldCat
says there is a 1944 edition.) - 115 pages - Snippet view:

"To obtain some intimate pictures of the gulls on their rookery, I
set up a hessian "hide" amongst them, taking my pictures through
holes cut in the side."

(2)  Birds of Ceylon: Birds of our swamps and tanks.  William Watt
Addison Phillips - 1949 (multi-volume, 1949-) - 115 pages.  Snippet
view (volume not stated):

"For this work the hessian hide is used, but before it is erected, a
staging or "machan" has to be constructed with poles and branches
tied into position with ropes."

About 91 Google (non-book) hits.  Many mentions of "hessian cloth",
from a forum question "Anyone used Hessian to make a hide?" (all 2010):
http://forums.pigeonwatch.co.uk/forums/lofiversion/index.php?t132800.html:

I don't find either "hessian hide" or "hessian cloth" in the OED.

Joel

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