WILD DUCKS AND DUCK DECOYING 161 



fish poacher his preparation of salmon roe, and fowl- 

 ing secrets are often kept in families for generations. 

 The best decoys are those about two or three 

 acres in extent and surrounded with wood. On 

 larger ones fowl are difficult to work, and although 

 there may be thousands on the water, none may be 

 near enough to a " pipe " to regard either the dog 

 or the " call " ducks. Before speaking of the actual 

 working, it may be well to give a general outline of a 

 decoy. Imagine then a stretch of water about the 

 size indicated, and having five or six radiating arms 

 or inlets a figure represented exactly by a starfish, 

 or the body and legs of a spider. The arms, called 

 " pipes," curve away from the main pool so that it 

 is impossible to see more than a short distance up 

 them. They are arranged that whichever way 

 the wind blows one or other of the pipes may be 

 approached without getting to windward of the 

 quick-scented fowl. The " pipes " are covered 

 over with netting, and gradually diminish in height 

 and width till they terminate in a " tunnel-net." 

 Wooden palings bound these, built obliquely, over- 

 lapping at regular intervals, and connected by low 

 barriers. By this arrangement any one standing 

 behind the palings is only visible to whatever is 

 further up the " pipe," and cannot be seen by the 

 occupants of the pool. This then is the general 

 structure. 



