216
THE ESSEX NATURALIST.
"August 23rd, 1716—3 Teal, 548 Wigeon; September 16th, 1717—
"702 Wigeon and 384 on previous day. The immense number of
"44,677 Wigeon, taken in this decoy during thirteen years, are
"divided among the months in the following proportion :—
"1714-1726, August, 1,085 ; September, 15,897 ; October,
"18,671 ; November, 7,655 ; December, 1,085 ; January, 275 ;
"February, 9. These figures are very curious, as they show
"at a glance that the great captures of Wigeon were made in
"September and October. This is exactly the opposite to the
"case in the present day. The best months for Wigeon on our
"Eastern coast now are January, February, and also March, a
"period during a greater part of which the old decoys were closed
"altogether."
10. Mayland Decoy is situated in the corner of Sheep-
pound Marsh, in the extreme N.E. corner of the parish of
Mayland, and on the point west of Steeple Creek. It is on
Nipsell's Farm, called Old Nipkin's on some maps, the tenant
in 1890 being Mr. John Bunting, when it was still spoken of as
"the old Decoy." Neither Sir R. Payne-Gallwey nor Mr.
J. E. Harting refer to this decoy, which was discovered by Mr.
E. A. Fitch.
11. Latchingdon Decoy is marked on Bowen's Map of
Essex, which is dated 1760, as being situated on the west side of
Latchingdon Creek, two miles west from Steeple and one east
from Mundon.
12. Northey Island Decoy, which was unknown to either
Sir Ralph Payne-Gallwey or Mr. J. E. Harting, was situated on
the eastern side of Northey Island, Maldon. Christy, writing
in 1890, stated that it was then held by Mr. E. A. Fitch, and was
still known as "the Decoy Piece ;" it had been disused during
the nineteenth century, and although the pond and ditches were
probably but little altered it was impossible to say how many
pipes there had been ; from an advertisement which appeared
in "Mercurius Publicus" of 6th August, 1663, it does not
appear to have then existed. This decoy was discovered by
Mr. E. A. Fitch.
13. Goldhanger Decoy (No. 1) is situated one mile S.W.
from Goldhanger, two and a half miles E. from Maldon, and
150 paces from the shore. It had five pipes. Traces of it could
still be seen in 1890 on Cobb's Farm, the property of the Rev.
Coope Arnold, of Hertford House, Coventry, and in 1886 in the
occupation of Mr. Frederick Wakelin. Christy argues that this
decoy probably existed in 1735, for Salmon in his History of Essex,
p. 426, alluding to the inundation in February, 1735, writes that