92 THE FOWLER IN IRELAND. 



when decoying, they cannot do so. If they do not 

 detect him, and they cannot do so if he runs 

 behind the long screen Y, they will probably start 

 to swim down the pipe when the dog no longer 

 appears, and, however suspicious they may be, he 

 has then time to appear at X and intercept them. 

 From B to B are the short screens before de- 

 scribed. The first and second of those nearest the 

 pipe's mouth may be respectively 18 and 16 feet 

 long, the next 14 feet, and the rest but 12 feet. 

 The opening C, between the long back screens, 

 should be conveniently near the spot where the 

 decoyman knows by experience the fowl are far 

 enough up the pipe for him to have time to run to 

 its mouth and so cut off their retreat. In the plan 

 of decoy-pipe the dog is shown springing into 

 view of the fowl over one of the little leaps that 

 connect each screen near the ground. He will 

 frisk round the front of the screen, running towards 

 the tail-end of the pipe, and return behind it over 

 the next little leap, jumping out of sight of the 

 astonished ducks as he does so. The decoyman 

 will by this time have moved to the next screen. 

 D D are the smooth, sloping banks formed on 

 purpose for the fowl to rest on, and flank the 

 entrance of every pipe. The screens A A serve 

 to hide the decoyman as he works his dog behind 

 the screens from B to B, or scatters grain into the 

 pipe near its entrance to attract his tame birds. 

 They are 40 feet long and 5f feet high. These 

 screens also allow the decoyman to reconnoitre the 

 entire pool unseen, and permit him to return 

 unperceived by its occupants from the spot to 



