13,421 have been taken; showing an average of 895 per annum. 
The best season was 18G7-8, when 2,278 fowl were taken ; in 
18G9-70 there were 1,483; 1860-7,1,130; 1874-5,1,104; 1864-5, 
1,063; and 1868-9, 1,045; in all the other seasons the take was 
less than 1,000; whilst in 1863-4, the number was only 292. 
At Westiric/i, about two miles from North Walsham, and six or 
seven miles, in a direct line, from the nearest sea-coast, is a lovely 
little decoy, most charmingly situated in, perhaps, one of the pret- 
tiest and wildest spots in the county. It was constructed by the 
late Mi’. John Bernoy Petre, about fifty years ago, and has been 
worked ever since. The decoy consists of three pipes, and the extent 
of water is about half an acre. The late Lieut.-Col. Duff, M.l\, 
kindly furnished me with extracts from the decoy book for the 
last seventeen years; and the average take during that period has 
been about four hundred each season; since 1872-3, the fowl have 
been classified, and the number taken in that time (six seasons) is 
as follows : 2,362 duck, 587 teal, 3 wigcon, and 3 pintail, total 
2,955, or about 493 per season : of the teal, 320 were killed in 
ono season. In 1866-7, which was the best year recorded, 761 
fowl were taken; in 1877-8, only 320. Years ago, Col. Duff says, 
that from 1,000 to 1,500 was the usual take. This decoy, from 
the nature of the surrounding country and its secluded situation, 
is, I should think, very little affected by agricultural operations ; 
but Mr. Petre does not pursue decoying very energetically, and 
the man who works it has not been trained to the business, 
nor does he avail himself of the services of the usual decoy 
dog. 
On the opposite side of the county, at South Acre, on the 
Diver Nar, is a decoy, made in 1843, by George Skelton, for the 
late Rev. John Fountaine, and still worked. From James Plumb, 
who was twenty-three years decoyman there, I learn the following 
particulars. Ho believes there was no decoy book kept, but the 
average take would bo about three hundred fowl each season ; 
chiefly duck and teal ; pintail were rare ; wigeou, three or four 
yearly; gadwall, a few; and shovellers seen, but none taken. The 
largest takes were generally in November, but he does not re- 
member any remarkably good years. The numbers of both sexes 
would be about equal ; ho very seldom took mallards without 
ducks. The decoy consists of one and a half acres of water, and 
