HISTORY OF DECOYS. 99 



man of the keeper class. Ev^entually a great misfortune befell the pond 

 in the opening of the Sheerness Railway within 250 yards of it. 

 Cement works were also built within a mile, the neighbourhood became 

 much more inhabited, and the use of the gun was universal. But the 

 death-blow to the pond was the lowering of the general drainage 

 of the surrounding marsh land 4 feet. This dried up acres of shallow 

 water ; the ducks ceased to arrive in any numbers, and some eighteen 

 years ago the pond of i\ acres of water and its cover of about 6 acres 

 were cleared and planted with fruit trees. 



" The birds were taken in the usual way, being fascinated by a dog 

 running up net-covered ditches called ' pipes,' the dog being trained to 

 appear and disappear, always going from the pond and towards the tunnel- 

 net at the extreme end of the pipe. As many as 20 ducks would be 

 taken at a time without the birds in the pond being alarmed. The dog 

 at times would wear a coat of many colours just for a change, and be 

 successful. I once made a good take by accident. A stoat hunted a 

 rabbit up the ' pipe,' running through a hole in the screen near the ducks. 

 Being on the watch, I was astonished to see birds swimming up the pipe, 

 and in a moment I was behind them ; they flew from me into the smaller 

 end, and were caught. 



" The fowl taken at my Decoy were Ducks, Teal, Wigeon, Pintail, 

 Gadwall, Pochard, Golden-eye, Tufted Duck and Shoveller. 



" Teal began to arrive by the end of August : the ducks a month 

 later. Some of the ducks were bred in England, and we called them 

 'Tame-flyers.' A few were crossed with tame ducks, and formed a good 

 ' lead,' as they left the pond at sunset and returned every morning just at 

 dawn, often with numerous companions, who would fly round several times 

 before alighting, the regular visitants coming straight in from any height 

 with a rush ! so that the Decoyman on the watch could tell how many 

 ' fresh birds' he had each day. The pond was supplied by an artesian well ; 

 and during rainy weather floods passed through and helped to prevent its 

 freezing up. Severe frost often caused great expense, as men had to keep a 

 boat moving all night, only leaving off" just as the birds came in at dawn. 

 At such times three out of the four pipes would be frozen up, the birds seated 

 out on the ice coming occasionally to drink at the open pipe. The catching 

 was then assisted by a free use of canary seed and other small seeds and 



