108 THE ESSEX NATURALIST.
a mile south-east of Rolls Farm, and within sixty yards of the
sea-wall. There are eight pipes clearly defined so that their
tapering shape can be easily made out. These pipes, as was
usual in the construction of old decoys, curve away from the
main pond, so that their narrow extremities are concealed from
it behind the embankment surrounding the pond. When first
visited during a period of drought, there was little water in any
of the pipes, although the pond was well filled. On January 12th,
1936, however, when we visited all four decoys again, the pipes
were full of water, so that the shape of the whole pond was
characteristic and reminiscent of the plans in Miller Christy's
Birds of Essex. Seen thus, we estimated that the area of this
pond was slightly larger than that of Skinner's Wick. At high
tide redshanks come from the saltings to rest around the main
pond, while the embankment is a favourite nesting-haunt of
Shelducks, for it is riddled with rabbit holes.
2. Pond in Fresh Marsh approximately a quarter of a
mile east from 1.
This pond is within a quarter of a mile of the pond in Rolls
Farm fresh marsh and is separated from it by a salt water creek
which forms a marked kink in the sea wall, well shown in the
six-inch Ordnance map and also on the map in A History of
the Birds of Essex. The pond is within fifty yards of the sea
wall. It is about half a mile west of Bohun's Hall decoy and
not quite half a mile south-west of Decoy Farm. There are
eight pipes, similar in construction to those at 1, but not so
well marked. The main pond, which is slightly larger than
Skinner's Wick, but not so large as Bohun's Hall, held a fair
amount of water when we visited it. Like the pond on Rolls
Farm it is a favourite haunt of many redshanks and Shelducks.
Remarks.
Whatever the history of these ponds may be, I think no
one who inspects them will deny that they were undoubtedly
constructed as decoys. Both ponds are quite as well preserved
as Skinner's Wick, especially the Rolls Farm pond, where the
pipes are very conspicuous. I have had no opportunity of
searching through the literature dealing with Essex decoys for
information concerning them, and a few local enquiries have
only elicited the information that the pond at Rolls Farm is