84 THE DUCK. 



to feed ; and the fowler, when he finds a fit opportunity, and sees 

 the decoy covered with ducks, throws upon the water handfulls of 

 henipseed, or any other seed that will float ; and whistling to the 

 decoy-ducks, easily allures them to their accustomed regale at 

 the mouth of the pipe. These are readily followed by the wild- 

 ducks, which are ignorant of the snare laid to trepan them, and 

 push forward till they discover that the dimensions of the pipe 

 continually decrease, and then they begin, too late, to suspect 

 some concealed danger. Their retreat, however, is prevented 

 by a person placed at the entrance. They are consequently 

 compelled to push forward to the end of the funnel, where they 

 are without any difficulty secured. When the wild-ducks are 

 too drowsy and sluggish to pay attention to the enticements of 

 the decoy-ducks, which sometimes happens to be the case, a 

 little dog, trained up for the purpose, is made use of to drive 

 them into the snare ; but this method is not so certain nor so ef- 

 fectual as the former mode of proceeding. Of all the counties 

 in England, Lincolnshire is one of the most famous for its decoys. 

 They are let for considerable annual sums, and from them the 

 London markets are chiefly supplied with this delicate fowl. It 

 is said that upwards of thirty thousand ducks, widgeon, and teal, 

 have been sent up to the metropolis, from the decoys in the 

 vicinity of Wainfleet ; — a circumstance that evidently proves the 

 great importance of this valuable fowl, which furnishes so excel- 

 lent an article of food, and shows how profusely Heaven has pro- 

 vided for our support and comfortable subsistence. 



To this manner of taking w T ild ducks in England, we shall 

 subjoin an account of another, still more extraordinary, which 

 is practised in China, and is so exceedingly curious that it de- 

 serves to be mentioned. 



As soon as the fowler sees a number of ducks settled on a 

 particular piece of shallow water, he sends among them a num- 

 ber of gourds, which resemble our pumpkins. These, having 

 the insides scooped out, easily swim, and sometimes twenty or 

 thirty of them are seen floating in one pool. The birds are at 

 first fearful of approaching them ; but by degrees their shyness 

 wears off, they become familiarized to the sight, gather about 

 them, and rub their bills against them in sportive playfulness. 

 As soon as the fowler perceives them perfectly fearless of the 

 gourds, he prepares to deceive them. He hollows out a gourd 

 large enough to contain his head, makes holes in it to see and 

 breathe through, and then puts it on like a cap. Being thus ac- 

 coutred, he wades slowly into the water, stooping or creeping 

 where it is shallow, and always taking care that nothing but his 

 head shall appear above the surface. In this manner, moving 

 unperceived towards the unsuspecting birds, he gets in among 



