THE DECOY-DUCKS. 55 



stantly in the pond ; and they must not be over-fed during the day, 

 for fear of being 1 too sleepy and lazy to answer the decoy man's 

 whistle, in case he requires their services. On the other hand, they 

 must not be too much under-fed, or they would respond too eagerly 

 to his call, and fail to act the steady part he expects of them. 

 Their best meal should be given them at dusk in the evening as 

 soon as the wild-fowl (if any in the decoy) have left for their nightly 

 perambulations. Wandering decoy-ducks should always be greeted 

 with food on their return to the pond. Well-trained decoy-ducks, 

 under proper management, may be brought from one side of the decoy 

 to the other at any moment, and at a steady swimming pace; which 

 is the most likely to induce the wild birds to follow them. 



The whistle of the decoyman should be soft and low, never harsh 

 and shrill ; and so accustomed will the decoy-ducks become to a call 

 of the kind, that the slightest note will not fail to attract their 

 attention, and bring them to the pipe at which they are required. 



It is highly important that the fowler should always feed the 

 decoy-ducks himself, that they may become thoroughly familiarized 

 with his voice ; and they may also be trained to turn back to the 

 open water, after going about half way up the pipe with the wild 

 birds. This, however, is a very easy though immaterial part of the 

 proceeding; for if once they are driven into the tunnel net, and 

 huddled together with the captured, they will be shy of going so far 

 up the pipe another time. 



Very noisy decoy-ducks are undesirable, though they should 

 always respond viva voce to the fowler's whistle ; which they seldom 

 fail to do, well knowing that whenever they hear it, and from which- 

 ever pipe it comes, there is sure to be food awaiting them, 



When the weather is frosty, and there is fear of the pond being- 

 frozen over, corn should be freely scattered upon the surface at night, 

 about the entrance to the pipe, in order to induce the decoy-ducks to 

 resort there and keep the water open. Tail corn, hempseed, or any 

 light grain, is the proper food to use at the decoy. 



There are generally a few wild birds which return year after year, 

 as if by instinct, to the same decoy, but which are too old and 

 cunning to be taken ; these are called " leading-birds," and are a 

 great acquisition to a decoy, frequently bringing with them large 

 flights of companions, early in the season, which fall easy victims to 

 the stratagems of the decoyer. 



