DECOYS AND HOW TO USE THEM 59 



By artificial are meant the wooden and other instruments 

 used for producing the sounds required ; by natural imitations 

 those emitted from the mouth with which Nature has pro- 

 vided every one. The former are all very well in their way, 

 yet they take up much time and trouble to learn ; but no 

 artificial arrangement can equal a good imitator who has 

 arrived at a fair stage of perfection, which is not half so 

 difficult as most people imagine. It is a little difficult at 

 first, perhaps, but the acquirement of one call invariably leads 

 up to others, and when once two or three have been mastered 

 the remainder are easy. To be efficient, however, the 

 mimicking of one sound only for each bird is not what is 

 required; you must habituate yourself to invariably listen 

 and notice the different sounds emitted at the different times, 

 which you will soon find conveys to you their intentions; 

 every species of birds having a separate language, that of 

 the widgeon and curlew, perhaps, being the most commonly 

 known. Study and endeavour to learn the meaning of each 

 cry and whistle, and then attempt to mimic the correct note ; 

 as, of course, if you give vent to the wrong note, say, for 

 instance, the note of alarm, what result can you expect ? 

 That veteran and thoroughly practical sportsman, Mr H. C. 

 Folkard, gives good advice upon this subject, which applies 

 equally to shooting over decoys as it does to punt and 

 other shooting. 



" A good ear for ornithological sounds is as necessary to 

 the midnight sportsman as the natural musical ear is to the 

 most accomplished harpist. He must be familiar with the 

 different calls and confabulations of the various species of 

 wildfowl, as is the fair warbler alluded to with the most 

 popular airs of the day; and but little success can be ex- 

 pected unless he is so gifted. The language of wildfowl 

 is instinctive and pleasing alike to the ears of both sportsman 

 and naturalist to the one for the advice it gives him as to 

 the species, as well as the whereabouts, of their talkative 

 assemblages ; and to the other for the opportunity afforded of 

 contemplating, from lessons of life, the beautiful perfections 



