64 EQUIPMENT. 



goose- shooting, as they are too large and clumsy 

 for convenience in carrying. 



A few years ago a man named Woodsum (if 

 I remember the name correctly) got out a patent 

 for a flapping decoy. A board, which served as 

 a floater, had a hole cut through it the size of 

 the decoy, and in this the decoy (which was made 

 like any common wooden one) was placed and fast- 

 ened to the board by pins running into its 

 sides, and serving as hinges upon which the de- 

 coy tilted easily. Wings, formed of wire and 

 covered with cloth or other similar substance, 

 were hinged in position, and the decoy anchored 

 in the usual manner. A line leading to the blind 

 was so fastened to the decoy that upon its be- 

 ing pulled the forward end was raised upon the 

 hinges to a nearly erect position, similar to that 

 of the live duck when flapping its wings, and the 

 wings were elevated at right angles with the 

 body. It was quite an ingenious contrivance, and 

 helped considerably to attract attention to the de- 

 coys, especially on dark, calm days. On such 

 days, if a string be tied to a common decoy, by 

 pulling it a ripple is occasioned or a motion made 

 among the decoys, which will prove of con- 

 siderable advantage. A short whistle or slight 



