548 
MALLARD. 
are stupid and sleepy, and will not follow the decoy 
ducks. When this is the case, they make use of a 
dog who is taught his lesson : he passes backwards 
and forwards between the reed screens, in which 
are little holes, both for the decoy-man to see, and 
the little dog to pass through : this attracts the eye of 
the wild fowl, who, not choosing to be interrupted, 
advance towards this small and contemptible animal, 
that they may drive him away. The dog, all this 
time, by direction of the decoy-man, plays among 
the screens of reeds, nearer and nearer to the purse- 
net, till at last the decoy-man appears from behind a 
screen; and the wild fowl, not daring to pass by him 
in return, nor being able to escape upwards on ac- 
count of the net covering, rush on to the end of the 
pipe, and are taken in the purse-net. The dog will 
not always attract their attention, unless he is pre- 
viously dressed up in colours, or has something 
very singular put about him. 
There is an act to prevent the taking of wild fowl 
before the month of October : from that time till 
February is the general season for taking them in 
the decoys. It was once the custom in the fens to 
have an annual driving of the young ducks before 
they took wing. This was accomplished by a 
number of people, who collected together and beat 
a large tract, by which the birds were forced into a 
net placed in a proper situation ; this practice was 
prohibited by parliament as detrimental. A hun- 
dred and fifty dozens have been taken in this way 
at once. 
