THE I)F.COY FOR DUCKS. 
127 
As soon as they arrive among us, they are generally seen 
flying in flocks, to make a survey of those lakes where they 
■ntentl to take up their residence for the winter. L ikes, with 
a marsh on one side, and a wood on the other, are seldom 
without vast quantities of wild fowl. The greatest quan- 
tities are taken in deCoyS: which, though well known near 
London, are yet untried in the remoter parts of the country. 
The manner of making and managing a decoy is as follows: 
A place is to he chosen tor this purpose far remote from 
the common highway, and all noise of people. When the 
place is chosen, the pool, if possible, is to be planted round 
with willows, unless a wood answers the purpose of shading 
it on every side. On the south and north side of this pool 
are two, three, or four ditches or channels, made broad to- 
wards the pool, and growing narrower till they end in a 
point. These channels are to be covered over with nets 
supported by hooped sticks bending from one side to the 
other ; so that they form a vault or arch growing narrower 
and narrower to the point, whore it is terminated by a tun- 
nel net, like that in which fish are caught in wears. Along 
the banks of these channels so netted over, which are called 
pipes, many hedges are made of reeds slanting to the edge 
of the channel, the acute angles to the side next the pool. 
The whole apparatus also is to be hidden from the pool by 
a hedge of reeds along the margin, behind which the fowler 
manages his operations. The place being fitted in this 
manner, the fowler is to provide himself with a number of’ 
wild ducks made tame, which are called decoys. These are 
always to be fed at the mouth or entrance of the pipe, and 
to be accustomed to come at a whistle. 
. As soon as the evening is set in, the decoy rises , as they term 
*t, and the wild fowl feed during the night. If the evening 
“ e still, the noise of their wings, during their flight, is heard 
at a very great distance, and produces no unpleasing sen- 
g ation. ' The fowler, when he finds a fit opportunity, and 
Se es his decoy covered with fowl, walks about the pool, and 
observes into' what pipe the birds gathered in the pool may be 
e nticed or driven. Then casting hemp-seed, or some such 
See d as will float on the surface of the water, at the entrance 
an d up along the pipe, he whistles to his decoy ducks, who 
mstantly obey the summons, and come to the entrance of the 
P'pe, in hopes of being fed as usual. Thither also they are 
ol lowed by a whole flock of wild ones, who little suspect the 
anger preparing against them. The wild ducks, therefore, 
Pursuing the decoy ducks, are led into the broad mouth of 
ie channel or pipe, nor have the least suspicion of the man, 
