40 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



the pond. When we were fairly settled in our places 

 we beheld a sight never to be forgotten. There on 

 the water close before us were thousands of lovely 

 birds in their most perfect winter plumage, splashing, 

 diving, musing, sleeping, or unconcernedly pruning 

 their feathers, as if they were on some island of the 

 Arctic Sea untrodden by the foot of man. Teal, 

 pochard, widgeon, shoveller, gadwell, mallard, and 

 I know not what — for time failed to observe the 

 minute details of the wonderful scene — were sporting 

 before us, the very embodiment of grace, or sunning 

 themselves on the water's edge. One pair of 

 mallards were performing the ingenious and pretty 

 feat of swimming round one another, and making a 

 circuit of the pond at the same time, — as astronomers 

 tell us that some twin stars move through space. 

 The air reverberated with constant cries, which 

 apparently had their source in the jealousy of an 

 unusual number of drakes ; and the sound of many 

 wings broke ceaselessly on the ear. 



We had gazed for some time in wonder and admira- 

 tion, when the old " ducker " joined us, delighted to 

 observe what pleasure his unusual show was giving. 

 For although we had often watched the fowl before, 

 it had never been our lot to see such numbers of 

 common wild-duck, or so many rare birds on the 

 pool together. 



" Now did ye ever see sich a sight o' ducks ony- 

 wheare in your life ? Why, I tell ye, ye wouldn't 

 see it in England, nor in the world, I'm thinkin'," he 

 whispered, as he mopped the perspiration from his 

 forehead with heavy dabs from a heavy silk pocket- 

 handkerchief. 



" Well, it is a splendid sight, and such a one as we 

 have never seen before," we replied, in the same 

 scarcely audible speech he himself used. 



" A splendid sight," drawing back, and holding 

 out his hand, as if our qualifying adjective had not 

 been strong enough ; then, nearing again, so as to 

 allow his ghost -like voice to reach us, " I've had 

 gentlemen in days gone by who would have come 

 three hunded miles to see such a vast o' em in at once. 

 My governor" — his old employer — ** would ha' had 

 all his fine friends here, if he'd been alive, he would." 



The work of capture now began. The boy donned 

 a bright red flannel vest, and stationed himself 

 behind the first "shooting" or screen, lying flat on 

 the ground, and hidden from any ducks which might 

 enter the pipe by the low connecting stile. His 

 grandfather then threw a piece of bread over it on to 

 the strip of land between the " shooting " and the 

 water's edge, and the dog immediately bounded after 

 it and returned by the second stile, though not before 

 the ever-observant ducks, on the near side of the 

 pond, had noticed his presence. 



The whole decoy was on the alert for danger at 

 once. The birds on the shore took refuge in the 

 water, those which were swimming stopped for a time, 

 and all eyes watched for the unknown apparition 



to present itself again. The dog leaped several times 

 over the first stile, returning by the second, then 

 over the second and back by the third, and so on, 

 retreating gradually, every fowl regarding the perform- 

 ance with fear, wonder, and curiosity combined. Yet 

 as he made no attempt to injure them, but moved slowly 

 away up the pipe, they presently fell back on their 

 ordinary sense of security, and began to sleep, dive, 

 and coquet again. The fatal desire to increase their 

 stock of available knowledge — the bane of other than 

 feathered victims — evidently over-mastered the 

 prudence of a score or two of birds. They began to 

 follow the mysterious object in its retreat, hesitating 

 some time at the mouth of the pipe, swimming this 

 way and that, straining their necks, and turning their 

 bright eyes hither and thither, in a vain effort to 

 learn the meaning of the overhanging net, or tO' 

 watch the dog passing out of view round the bend in 

 the pipe. The bolder ones entered when the dog 

 disappeared, followed by their more cautious com- 

 panions, though some few retired discreetly at the 

 last moment. Under the net they sailed, unconscious 

 of the meaning of the treacherous meshes above them, 

 till, at a given signal from the decoy-man, the red- 

 vested lad leapt to his feet and showed himself over 

 the stile in their rear. 



The effect was magical. The shy explorers took 

 wing together without a cry or warning to those left 

 behind, and not daring to face the foe, fly forwards, 

 catching sight of each of us in turn as they pass the 

 stile of the screen through which we are watching. 

 Dashing through the water in mad fear, or beating 

 their wings against the imprisoning net, only to be 

 thrown back to their native element again, they 

 reached the end of the pipe and entered the circular 

 net prepared for them, which the decoy-man re- 

 moved as soon as the last of the " take " had passed 

 into its jaws. 



Now came the poor sport of the show — the killing- 

 This was performed by the expert placing his fingers 

 over the beak, the thumb over the first joint of the 

 neck, and then giving the head a backward jerk to 

 the right side of the neck, which caused the immediate 

 dislocation. Painless enough as deaths go, but an in- 

 glorious ending for the freedom-loving mallard and teal. 



The whole affair was a dumb-show of a few 

 minutes' duration. Not a single word was uttered 

 aloud till the decoy -man had killed and counted 

 twenty-eight birds. Then, wiping his brow with the 

 sleeve of his coat, he said, with a grin of satisfaction, 

 ' ' Fust-rate sport. Squire ; your friends never saw owt 

 like this before, nor never will again." 



This mode of taking wild-fowl is called "working 

 them " by professional duckers ; but it is more 

 commonly known on paper as the "dog-decoy." It 

 is often productive of a fair take, especially of birds 

 fresh from the north, but it is far surpassed by the 

 " duck-decoy " now to be described. 

 {To be continued.) 



