64 THE WILD-FOWLER. 



The decoyer, on discovering- that he has a good number of birds 

 upon the water ; and time of day, weather, and other circumstances 

 being- favourable, proceeds in the following manner to decoy them up 

 the pipe : — 



Having- provided himself with a piece of lighted turf, and thrown 

 some soft corn upon the water at the entrance to the pipe, he whistles 

 his decoy-ducks ; and, as they approach, anxiously peeps to see if the 

 wild ones follow, which, if all is favourable, they are sure to do. He 

 then carefully watches their movements, throug-h an aperture of the 

 wide screen at the entrance to the pipe, and probably finds that, though 

 the tame birds have come several yards up the pipe after the corn, 

 the others are unwilling to follow. He therefore directs his dog-, by 

 a wave of the hand, to run round the first working-screen, and jump 

 over the first little leaping-screen at the mouth of the pipe ; and 

 whilst the dog is gone on his errand, which occupies but a few seconds, 

 the decoyer continues watching the birds, when he probably finds 

 they make towards the dog, which returns to his master, at the next 

 screen, where he is directly rewarded with a bit of cheese ; and, by 

 another signal of the hand, the dog is directed round the next working 

 screen, and over the next leap ; the decoyer all the while taking careful 

 notice of the movements of his intended captives, and studying- all their 

 actions and deportment ; and as they swim up the pipe faster or slower, 

 he regulates his own movements and those of the dog, which he conti- 

 nues sending round screen after screen, in the same manner as the 

 first, rewarding him each time with the usual mouthful of cheese : 

 and thus, by such apparently simple performances as those of a little 

 dog appearing on the bank of the pipe, a moment here and another 

 there, skipping over a low fence, and then vanishing, the fowler 

 succeeds in enticing the birds a sufficient distance to admit of cutting 

 off their retreat. 



When thus far successful, he signals to his assistant, who is quietly 

 waiting behind a back-screen, near the mouth of the pipe [see illus- 

 tration, aw^e, page 49], and who then immediately comes forward; 

 shows himself between one of the apertures of the working-screens, 

 and takes olf his cap, or gently waves his hand ; which is all that is 

 necessary to urge the birds on farther up the pipe. 



They are then all hurry-scurry, fright, and alarm ; and, not ven- 

 turing to turn back, and pass the assistant or the fowler — both of 

 whom now show themselves between the zig-zags of the working- 

 screens — and being unable to fly higher than the top of the arched 



