6o Game and Foxes. 



preservation. A very small puddle or two will 

 suffice if the duck are fed judiciously. 



It is a favourite device to pinion a few duck as 

 a means of inducing those full-winged to stay, but 

 such birds had not better be entirely deprived of 

 their flying powers, or they will only provide a meal 

 or two for the first fox which comes along. The first 

 joint of one wing only should be removed, and a 

 duck operated upon in this way will still be able to 

 fly a little, and even to mount high in the air, but 

 its course will be a circular one owing to one wing 

 being less powerful than the other. Such a bird 

 may join in the flights of the others as they fly 

 round and round, but will never attempt to go 

 straight off ; consequently it must remain as a 

 decoy to the full-winged duck. Ducks fully 

 pinioned must be removed from water liable to be 

 frozen over w^hen hard frost prevails. A big com- 

 pany of waterfowl will manage to keep a space 

 free from ice for a long time, but if the frost lasts 

 ice gradually encroaches on this open water, and 

 the fox gets his chance as it narrows. The full- 

 winged duck may be able to escape at any time, 

 and will probably desert a pond when this occurs, 

 but those pinioned are doomed if not already 

 caught and removed to a place of safety. The 

 fox may not take them all, but, frightened at his 



