ICO THE BOOK OF DUCK DECOYS. 



corn, the tame-flyers coming up freely and eating greedily. The fresh 

 birds would soon follow, and being very hungry would swim far enough 

 under the net to get caught. At such times a few wild ducks would 

 have the pinion feathers cut from one wing ; they soon got tame and 

 attracted numbers of Mallards, especially in the spring. 



" About one mile to the SE. of Grovehurst Pool is another smaller 

 abandoned Decoy on my property, called Kemsley ; this has not been in 

 use for loo years, but I am told was used for taking Teal, the larger pond 

 being frequented by ducks. I well remember the Teal in my Grovehurst 

 Decoy, sometimes to the number of 500, trying to sit out of the way of the 

 ducks, even seating themselves on the top of the low hedge, fencing in the 

 pond from the surrounding cover, so as to be out of the reach of their 

 larger neighbours." 



About six years ago Mr. G. Webb of Tunstall, near Sittingbourne, 

 commenced to enclose about 240 acres of salt land near the mouth of the 

 River Medway, at the lower end of Chitney Marshes, only a few miles 

 from the Grovehurst Decoy, and he has lately formed a large square pond, 

 planted round with alder, willow, and sedge, in the hope of attracting 

 wildfowl, though no " pipes " have yet been constructed. But the water 

 from the creek that fills the pond being salt, the ducks will not drink it, 

 and consequently do not remain long, although a good many have been 

 seen there at one time during the past season (18S4-5). 



Decovs in the County of Lancaster. 



Decoys in iise. Decoys not in use. 



Hale. I Orford Hall. 



Hale Decoy, 9 miles SE. of Liverpool and 7^ miles S. of Prescot, on 

 a small peninsula on the N. bank of the Mersey River, and opposite 

 Frodsham and Rvmcorn in Cheshire. 



The only Decoy worked in Lancashire is that at Hale, belonging to 

 Colonel J. Blackburne, M.P. 



This Decoy is situated near the village of Hale, is within 150 yards of 

 a high road and 450 yards of the Mersey Estuary. The pool is an acre in 



