WILD DUCKS AND DUCK DECOYING 



THERE is no European country, however fortunately 

 situated, which has so many species of wild-fowl 

 as Britain. This is partly owing to its insular 

 position, and partly to the food - abounding seas 

 which are on every coast. In their primitive 

 condition these islands must have constituted a 

 very paradise for wild-fowl, and we know that the 

 marsh and fenlands of the south-eastern counties 

 were breeding haunts of myriads of fowl not more 

 than two centuries ago. Even now there are nearly 

 thirty species of wild duck which are either resident 

 or annual visitants to our marine and inland waters. 

 Nearly half of these are now known to have bred 

 within the British Isles, the remaining ones coming 

 from the north only at the severity of winter. 



Wild ducks divide themselves into two natural 

 groups according to habit and the manner in which 

 they obtain their food. Sportsmen and fowlers 

 refer to those divisions as " surface " and " diving " 

 ducks. Those which comprise the first class feed 

 exclusively upon the surface and inhabit fresh water ; 

 the latter are mostly marine forms, and in procuring 

 their food the whole body is submerged. Among 



