NATURE AND SPORT IN BRITAIN 



in the eighteenth century. Over each of the gently 

 curving ditches, or pipes, leading from its four corners, 

 were set arched hoops of wood, which supported strong 

 netting, wide and pretty high at the pool entrance, and 

 tapering away by degrees until it ended in the purse- 

 like funnel-net, completely hooped, in which the wild- 

 fowl finally found themselves. Hither our friend the 

 decoy-man came at the finish of his capture to find his 

 victims and put them out of their misery. His first 

 plan of operation was, briefly, something like the follow- 

 ing : — From behind his elaborate system of screens of 

 reed-fencing, down towards the place where the "pipe" 

 opened on to the pool, he watched with lynx eyes the 

 mallard, widgeon, teal, and other fowl gathered upon 

 the water. Between them and himself were some of his 

 own tame decoy ducks, which understood him and his 

 little ways — or at all events a part of them — perfectly 

 well. Noting that a sufficient number of wildfowl were 

 now gathered, he gave a peculiar quiet whistle, known 

 to his own ducks, and cast some grains of hemp into 

 the mouth of the drain. Forthwith, attracted by the 

 whistle and the sight of the grain floating towards 

 them, the decoys quietly paddled up and began feeding. 

 At that, every head of the wild duck out yonder upon 

 the pool went up. They knew the signs, saw and heard 

 the greedy "scuttering" of their fellows, and they, too, 

 came sailing up to see what good fare might be offer- 

 ing. Just at the entrance to the pipe they suddenly set 

 eyes on an apparition which riveted their attention yet 

 more. This was no less than the decoy-man's dog, care- 

 fully trained for the part he had now to play. Some- 

 times a tame fox was used. One was employed at the 

 Berkeley Castle decoy some five-and-twenty years ago. 

 And it is a fact that decoy-men preferably use for this 

 purpose a dog of a reddish or fox colour. 



i8 



