THE DUCK DECOYS OF ESSEX. 205
and Payne-Gallwey records that among the previous owners
were: 1822, Mr. Hudson; 1837-1851, Mr. John Willes ;
1851-1865, Mr. Cracknell. Mr. R. Page commenced his
tenancy in 1865 and he was still tenant in 1890. Mr. E. Raby
was the tenant in 1918. Most of the duck taken in the decoy
are Wigeon and other species in smaller numbers. Pochards
often visited the pond, but they were a source of trouble, as
they escaped by diving back in the pipe, even flying past the
decoyman when he showed himself. For these reasons efforts
were made during the tenancy of Mr. Page to prevent them
coming. At a time when there were many Pochards in the
decoy a party was arranged and seventy were shot in one day,
and before the end of the week over two hundred had been
killed. During the earlier period of this decoy the takes were
much larger than in later days, when it was stated to do no
more than cover expenses. Daniel records that in 1795 the
Marsh House Decoy made £800 after paying all expenses,
and that in 1799 ten thousand head of Wigeon, Teal and Wild
Duck were caught in a decoy in Essex by the Rev. Bate Dudley.
Payne-Gallwey states that he was informed by Mr. G. J. Hudson
that his father made £400 in a year, which sum it was estimated
equalled 10,000 fowl. From 1859-60 to 1864-65 the average
annual catch was about 3,500 ; then the figure dropped to about
2,500 a year, and about 1890 the numbers taken had fallen
still further to about 2,000. J. Whitaker, who visited the decoy
on July 19th, 1918, states that it had not been worked for three
years on account of the war, and he gives the number of ducks
taken during five consecutive winters :
Normally the adjoining Grange Decoy is said to be more
profitable, but much depends on which decoy gets what is called
the lead of the birds. In some years the Wigeon neglected
this decoy apparently in favour of the Grange Decoy. Mr. R.
Page wrote to J. Cordeaux about 1878 : "Of every hundred
wigeon taken in our decoy (Marsh House), 30 are killed in
January, 20 in December, 19 in February, 19 in November,
7 in October, 4 in March, and 1 in September. This is the
average of fair seasons. During the same time we have had