HISTORY OF DECOYS. 135 



The Decoy is maintained in superb order by Mr. Tyssen-Amherst, 

 M.P., who takes no little pride in its possession, — both as an object of 

 curiosity as well as an ornamental feature in connection with his fine 

 sporting estate of Didlington — an estate which, I may safely say, is 

 celebrated, both for the immense number of game it shelters as well as 

 for the great variety of wildfowl its fens and rivers afford. There is at 

 Didlington, in the immediate vicinity both of the Hall and the Decoy, a 

 fine mere of 60 acres — a magnificent harbour, to attract wildfowl to the 

 neighbourhood — and from which it is but a short flight for them into the 

 Decoy hard by. 



One of the Decoy pipes is actually in view of the windows of 

 the mansion, and though the Decoy is within 300 to 400 paces of 

 a school, gas-works, and a large farm and garden, still its success is 

 so well ensured that 1,000 Ducks may often be seen resting in its 

 seclusion. 



The Merton Decoy consists of a pipe attached to the eastern extremity 

 of Thompson Mere. This large piece of water, covering 60 acres, is 

 situated 2 miles south of Merton Hall, the latter being 2\ miles froni 

 Watton. 



The Decoy pipe was constructed for Lord Walsingham by G. 

 Skelton (1886), and is likely to be successful, for the Merton estate, 

 besides being one of the most famous in England for its abundance of 

 game of all kinds, stands well-nigh unrivalled as the haunt of wildfowl, 

 both rare and common. So numerous are these birds on the meres of 

 Lord Walsingham's property, that the owner thereof has many times 

 shot to his own gun in a single day from 80 to 100 wild ducks of various 

 species. 



Dersingham, 5 miles NNE. from Castle Rising, not far from the 

 shores of the Wash.— About 1818 a Decoy was constructed at this place by 

 George Skelton the younger, who died here. The pool was about an acre 

 and a quarter in extent and had five pipes. No Decoy-book was kept, but 

 Skelton's brother-in-law, who worked the Decoy with him, stated, that the 

 average number of fowl captured every winter was from 1 30 to 200 dozen 

 Wild Duck, Teal, Wigeon, Gadwall and Pintail. Skelton was succeeded 

 by a man named Sharp, from Hilgay, and a new cottage was built for him ; 

 but it is said that he was not successful. Owing to alterations in drainage. 



