PRESERVING AND LURING THE DUCK 107 



the pure mallard as the other. I consider the former 

 preferable when one's pond is within or near to a 

 locality frequented by wild birds, and the latter when 

 it is more or less remote therefrom. The greater the 

 proportion of domestic blood the stronger the attach- 

 ment to home ; the greater the proportion of wild 

 blood, the wider the range of the birds and the better 

 the prospect of establishing leads from a distance. 

 The ducklings should be placed on the pond at the 

 age of eight or nine weeks. Never allow these decoy 

 birds maize, as the food makes them too fat and hence 

 disinclined to fly far on their own accord. If the 

 pond be situated in a district wherein mallard breed, 

 efforts should be made, by scattering wheat thinly 

 over the feeding-ground, to induce wild-bred birds to 

 frequent the pond as soon as the young are able to 

 fly ; when one has to rely on migrants alone, early 

 October is soon enough to abandon feeding after the 

 ordinary manner in favour of scattering the corn over 

 a wide area. The decoy birds should be kept very 

 tame. 



A word here on the subject of vermin. Rats and 

 moorhens are almost certain quickly to discover a 

 pond where duck are fed, and unless remorseless 

 warfare is waged against them they will be found a 

 standing nuisance. It is only a half measure to destroy 



