DECOYS AND WILD-FOWLING IN ESSEX. 71 



" From this table it appears that the amount realised by the sale of wild fowl 

 during thirteen years was £1,126 is. 6d. or an average of ^102 per annum. 

 " Half Burds " such as Golden Eyes and Tufted Ducks have, it will be observed, 

 a column to themselves. They were regarded as only half the size of ordinary 

 Wild Ducks, reckoned at half the value, and were not counted in the dozen. It 

 would seem that nearly all the Ducks and Teal taken in this decoy were 

 foreigners, and not home-bred birds ; for it is remarkable that during the months 

 of August and September, before the large migrating flocks had arrived, compara- 

 tively few were captured, which would scarcely have been the case had these birds 

 nested in any numbers in the surrounding marshes. 



Mr. John Cordeaux gives the following additional particulars 

 from this old MS. book, in the Field (ox April 6th, 1878 : — ■ 



" In one year (1715), taking commenced as early as August 25th, and from 

 this time to the end of the month 8 Duck, 96 Teal, i Pintail, and 544 Wigeon 

 were taken. 1716 also appears to have been an early season for Wigeon, the 

 decoy commencing work on August 24, and before the end of the month 7 Duck 

 9 Teal,. 5 Pintail, and 53S Wigeon were captured. The best 3'ear of the thirteen 

 was 1714. The best months were Sept., 1714 — 39 Duck, 81 Teal, 9 Pintail, 3,907 

 Wigeon. Also Sept., 1717 — 12 Duck, 8 Teal, i Pintail, and 3,440 Wigeon. 



"Some of the best days were as follows : September, 20th, 1714 — i Duck, 

 20 Teal, 78; Wigeon. September 23rd, 1715 — 7 Teal, I Pintail, 478 Wigeon. 

 October 7th, 1715—6 Teal, 4 Pintail, 512 Wigeon. October 14th— 2 Teal, 

 I Duck, 490 Wigeon. October i8th — i Teal, i Duck, i Pintail, 537 Wigeon. 

 August 23, 1716— 3 Teal, 548 Wigeon. September 16, 1717 — 702 Wigeon and 

 384 on previous day. The immense number of 44,677 Wigeon, taken in this 

 decoy during thirteen years, are divided between the months in the following 

 proportion : 1714 to 1726 — August, 1,085 ! September, 15,897 ; October, 18,671 ; 

 November, 7,655 ; December, 1,085 ; January, 275 ; February, 9. These figures 

 are very curious, as they show at a glance that the great captures of Wigeon were 

 made in September and October. This is exactly the opposite to the case in the 

 present day. The best months for Wigeon on our Eastern coast now are January, 

 February and also March, a period during a greater part of which the old decoys 

 were closed altogether. * * * 



" A correspondent, the owner of a decoy in one of the Eastern counties [this 

 was Mr. Robert Page, of Down Hall, Bradwell], writes: 'Of every hundred 

 Wigeon taken in our decoy [Marsh House, Tillingham], 30 are killed in January, 

 20 in December, 19 in February, 19 in November, 7 in October, 4 in March, and 

 I in September. This is the average of fair seasons. During the same time we 

 have had the greatest number in the decoy in January, and the months follow in 

 the following order : February, December, November, October, March, September. 

 In one year we had four Wigeon in the decoy in August. In some seasons none 

 have arrived until October ; and in one year we had the greatest num.ber on 

 February 26th." 



Many more interesting facts relating to this now-almost-defunct 

 Essex industry, in addition to those given above, would doubtless 

 reward a little painstaking research, and the subject is well worthy 

 of further attention. 



