70 THE WILD-FOWLER. 



day, and sweeping- them all away (and it must not be forgotten that 

 it is by changes of wind that the movements of wild-fowl are chiefly 

 regulated) ; or their being* unexpectedly disturbed at the decoy, and 

 so frightened as never again to return ; beside the chance of their 

 taking a liking to some other decoy, with various other casualties, it 

 may be fairly questioned whether the fowler should not take a hint 

 from the old adage, " No time like the present," and do his best on the 

 first favourable opportunity, particularly if the flight is large ; but if 

 there are only a few, certainly the wiser course will be to wait a few days, 

 because the few may return some fine morning* with large numbers 

 added to their little band ; and it is the very nature of wild-fowl to 

 follow their leaders, whether soaring high in the air, skimming the 

 surface, or swimming on the water. 



Sometimes wild-fowl will be found so suspicious of the security of 

 their chosen resting-place in the decoy, as to take up their quarters 

 in close column in the centre of the pool, and there remain during the 

 greater part of the day. When such is the case, it is useless to 

 attempt decoying them ; they are best left to themselves, and in a 

 few days will probably become less wary, and finally an easy prey. 



There is no opportunity so favourable for decoying wild-fowl as 

 during a steady, or even a strong*, breeze, blowing directly down the 

 pipe. They may sometimes be taken in calm weather; but he 

 must be a skilful decoyer who succeeds on such occasions in taking 

 any other fowl than teal. 



Many decoyers prefer working their pipes with a side wind ; and 

 they sometimes do so with better success than directly in the wind's 

 eye. When a side wind is chosen, the decoyer selects a pipe where 

 he can conduct liis operations from the leewardmost side, which he 

 may do even more properly than with a current directly down the 

 pipe. His operations are never performed from the inner circle, but 

 always on the outer side of the curve of the pipe ; therefore it would 

 seem perfectly correct for the fowler to choose a side wind, par- 

 ticularly when taken into consideration that the pipe is formed nearly 

 upon a semicircle, and the fowler's position is on the outer side of the 

 curve. When following the dog* up the pipe, wild-fowl always keep 

 on the opposite side to that on which the screens are placed. 



It is possible for the decoyer to take birds without the aid of 

 manual assistance ; but not with so much certainty, because of having 

 to return back unobservedly and silently from the last working-screen 

 to the mouth of the pipe ; during which, his most valuable moments 



