34 THE WILD-FOWLER. 



The sources from which the author of that work compiled his dis- 

 sertation upon the decoy were evidently loose, scanty, and inaccurate. 

 The whole space devoted to the subject occupies barely one pag-e in 

 the volume. Nevertheless, from that time (1678) to the present, 

 there has been no attempt by subsequent writers to explain the errors 

 of their predecessors. 



Bewick's* description of a decoy and method of using- it is wild, 

 theoretical, and erroneous : he speaks of the operations being- always 

 conducted hy night ! thus proving' at once that he knew nothing- of 

 the art, the operations of capturing wild-fowl at the decoy being- 

 always performed by daylight ; and, indeed, there are seldom any 

 wild-fowl in decoys at nig-ht. They generally leave at twilight, and 

 repair to fens and meadows, where they remain until morning- • and if 

 it so happens (as it does sometimes) that a few birds remain all nig-ht 

 in the pond, the decoyer could not see to perform his operations, which 

 of necessity require broad daylig-ht for being- put in practice. 



Wilson, in his "American Ornitholog-y," copies all his informa- 

 tion on decoys from Bewick: consequently, adopts all his errors; 

 and he likewise alludes to the operations of the decoyer as being- 

 conducted in the evening. 



It is possible, though, it is hoped, not probable, that some persons, 

 having' constructed decoys on their estates, and being unacquainted 

 with the decoyer's art of capturing- wild-fowl, may have adopted the 

 erroneous instructions of Bewick or Wilson, by attempting- to take 

 the birds by iiig'ht ; and have found the attempt so utterly useless 

 that they have abandoned the pursuit without venturing- to differ 

 from those authorities, or thinking- for a moment that daylight must 

 be the proper time to work a decoy. 



The editor of the " Encyclopsedia Metropolitana" is also wrong- in 

 stating-, that " towards evening the decoy-man prepares for working- 

 the pipe and driving the wild-fowl." 



Brande, in his " Dictionary of Science," falls into the same error. 

 Under the head " Decoy," he states that the fowl are driven up the 

 net by the dogs. 



Several other writers have followed the text of these authors ; and 

 no one has yet ventured to contradict their fallacious theory. 



The erroneous assertion that the fowl were driven into the decoy- 

 pipe has thus become lamental)ly mischievous, as writers one after 



* Bewic'k's OrnitlKilorry. 



