520 Recently published Ornithological Works. 
antiquarian, than of the pure ornithologist. That it will be 
read by many of the latter, and deserves to be read by all, 
there can be no doubt; and if those whose means allow of 
their keeping up decoys without a view to profit will avail 
themselves of the practical experiences of one w r ho is both 
sportsman and ornithologist, considerable advantage may 
accrue to our favourite branch of science. Even from the 
present volume, devoid of all pretension in this respect, there 
is a good deal to be learnt respecting the various Ducks 
which frequent or are absent from certain localities • and the 
details of the way in which some species have replaced others 
is interesting and instructive. For instance, at the Hale 
Decoy in Lancashire, Mallard predominated from 1801 to 
1875 ; but in the latter year Teal suddenly appeared in large 
numbers, and the result of this te lead 13 of fowl has been that 
numbers of foreign-bred Teal now resort to this favourable 
locality, replacing the Mallard, whose breeding-haunts in the 
“ moss-lands 33 of the county are decreasing through drainage. 
It will be an agreeable surprise to many of our readers to 
learn that even at the present time, in spite of cultivation, 
drainage, railways, and trespassers under the Ground Game 
Act, there are still upwards of forty decoys in working order 
in England and Ireland, while there are many disused ones 
which could easily be re-established. We by no means share 
the gloomy and desponding views expressed by the reviewer 
of this work in the f Athenseum 3 ; and even if the majority 
of decoys can no longer be worked so as to produce an 
ample livelihood, they can surely be so managed as to afford a 
good deal of pleasure, with little, if any loss. The sea-board 
counties of Lincoln, Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex are, from 
their position, the most favourable ; but inland Nottingham¬ 
shire, owing to its large lakes and the winding Trent, is 
believed to contain at times more wildfowl than any other 
county of its class; while next to it, perhaps, comes Bucking¬ 
hamshire, which formerly boasted several decoys. At present 
only one of the latter is worked; but we understand that a 
younger member of the Bothschild family takes an active 
interest in ornithology, and he has now every opportunity for 
