164 WILD-FOWL DECOYS IN ESSEX.
For the benefit of those who may never have seen a decoy, it may be
well, perhaps, to describe briefly its construction and management.
Imagine, then, a pool of a few acres in extent lying in a quiet out
of the way spot, far from any high road, and if surrounded by trees
all the better (see Fig. 1, in which we get a glimpse of a decoy pond
as seen from a pipe).4 Marshes by the sea, especially on the east
coast, were found to be most favourable for such a purpose, since fresh-
water pools in such situations at once attract foreign fowl coming in
from the sea on their first arrival.
Having selected the pool, the next thing to be done is to cut the
"pipes," as they are termed, up which the ducks have to be decoyed.
These "pipes," which may vary in number according to the extent and
shape of the pool, are simply net-covered ditches of a peculiar shape,
something like a cow's horn; that is to say, wider at the end nearest the
pond than at the other end, and gently curving throughout their entire
length. The reason for having several such "pipes" to a decoy is
that the fowl may be taken when the wind, no matter from what point
of the compass, is blowing down the pipe towards the pond. The
reason for making the "pipes" curved is that if they were straight,
and the ducks could see the further end, they would at once suspect
a trap, and never enter them (see Fig. 2, representing the mouth of
a pipe).
Let us suppose, then, that three, four, or five such pipes have been
cut. These are arched over at intervals with hoops of wood, or iron
(if expense be no object), and over these is stretched a strong netting,
which tapers gradually towards the far end of the pipe, and terminates
in a sort of bag or purse in which the fowl are eventually taken (see
Fig. 3). As it is absolutely necessary that the decoyman should be
concealed from view of the ducks on the pool, a series of screens
made of reeds, and set one behind another, are fixed at intervals
along the side of each "pipe'' (these are shown in Fig. 2, to the
left). A few tame ducks, taught to come at a whistle to be fed, a
few handfuls of grain, and a small fox-coloured dog, and the decoy-
man is ready to begin operations.
Selecting his "pipe" according to the direction of the wind, he
throws a handful of grain over a screen into the pipe, and whistles.
The wind carries the grain towards the mouth of the pipe, the tame
ducks come eagerly to feed, and the wild ones getting an occasional
4 The three excellent illustrations of Decoys are from an article on "An East Anglian
Decoy," by Mr. G. C. Davies, in the "Art Journal" for 1882.—Ed.