160 WOODLANDERS AND FIELD FOLK 



the commercial supply are mostly mallard and teal, 

 with a few widgeon and a sprinkling of the rarer or 

 marine forms according to season and the severity 

 of the weather. I have before me a complete record 

 of the fowl taken at one decoy for nearly a century, 

 and this is interesting as showing not only the 

 number of divers taken, but also a record of the 

 species. That the migratory fowl return to the 

 same waters year after year is confirmed by 

 the fact that at the Ashby Decoy, already referred 

 to, a " grey " duck with a conspicuous white neck 

 spent eight winters there; and another abnormally 

 coloured one visited it regularly for four or five 

 years. 



The duck decoys, once common throughout the 

 country, fell into general disuse about the beginning 

 of the present century; and their decline has been 

 contemporaneous with the improvements made in 

 firearms and all relating to shooting. Often as many 

 marine ducks are bagged by one shot from a punt 

 gun as the fowler can take in a day, and whilst the 

 former can follow the birds, the latter must wait 

 for their coming before he can commence decoying. 



Duck decoying is one of the most interesting 

 phases of woodcraft, and really skilled modern 

 fowlers are as rare as trained falconers. Moreover, 

 decoying is one of the fine arts. The decoy-man 

 surrounds his craft with as much mystery as the old 



