THE BOOK OF DUCK DECOYS. | |
| The dog having jumped into view from the corner of the screen, runs round its front between it and the ditch of the pipe, and pops back over the next dog-jump behind the same screen. He repeats the manoeuvre, springing into view of the ducks again from the jump he just disappeared over, and so encompassing screen number two. This alternate jumping into sight, followed by a short, frisking run, and then the vanishing again on the part of the dog, is continued from screen to screen till the ducks have followed the enticer well under the net and too far for their safety. The Decoyman, hidden himself, also moves from screen to screen towards the tail of the pipe, keeping pace with his dog and taking a quick look now and then through the peep-hole in each screen in order to see how the ducks are progressing up the pipe after the dog. (See next page.) The latter he encourages by gestures to be smart and cheerful in his movements, rewarding him from time to time with titbits of cheese, meat, or cake. If he sees the ducks hang at one spot and hesitate to proceed, he puts his dog quickly round the screen just above them, two or three times in succession. This will usually bring them on. It sometimes happens that the landing under the Breast-wall screens has fowl on it that cannot see or will not follow the dog as the latter appears from behind the screens near the pipe. In this case the Decoyman puts his dog over the "Yackoop" between these two screens and right among the birds, when, though apparently very alarmed at first, they usually, some of them, end by following their disturber up the pipe. The sprightlier the dog works, the better, so long as he is absolutely mute and obedient. I need scarce note that the dog, starting at or near the mouth of the pipe, continues his erratic course invariably towards its tail end, taking each screen and its jump in succession. | |
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