214 RECREATIONS OF A NATURALIST 



decoy the General took much personal interest, and 

 lost no opportunity of visiting and inspecting others, 

 not only in England and Ireland, but also in 

 Holland, and making observations upon them in 

 his journal. Fortunately, as pointed out to me by 

 Professor Newton, his notes have been preserved. 

 In a MS. account of his Travels in Holland, the 

 United Provinces, England, Scotland, and Ireland, 

 in possession of Sir Philip Grey Egerton, Bart., of 

 Oulton Park, Cheshire, and printed in 1844 for the 

 Chetham Society, frequent mention is made of the 

 wildfowl decoys which he saw in Holland, in 1634, 

 and some curious details are given respecting them. 

 The following entries are worth quoting. On the 

 way to Holland, he says : — 



" We lodged at the Ship at Quindburrow 

 (Queenborough), and were well used ; six lobsters 

 bought for IS., one quick {i.e., alive). A con- 

 venient place in the remotest part of the marsh for 

 a 'coy " (p. 3). 



Arrived in Holland, on reaching Dort, he 

 wrote : — 



" The island whereon this fair maiden city 

 stands is encompassed round by the Maas and 

 Waal, two great navigable rivers. This island is 

 about six or eight English miles about, and pre- 

 served by a strong bank about 12 yards high, 

 beyond which bank are seated many (some dozen 

 or twenty) 'coys. We were in three 'coys, all well 

 wooded ; two of them adjoining close together, the 

 one a lesser 'coy (which is the winter 'coy), hath 

 fine pipes like unto mine. It is ten English roods 



