Page 45 CONSTRUCTION OF A DECOY

CONSTRUCTION OF A DECOY - THE SCREENS.

    The necessity of this arrangement is, that when the Decoyman appears at his first or head show place in front of the pipe's mouth, though the ducks start up the pipe, they might break back past him unless he stopped them. This he does by running to the next show place, i.e. dog-jump.
    So he goes quickly on from opening to opening till he sees that his appearance is driving the birds in their wild career towards the tunnel net at the tail of the pipe, as shown in the illustration on
plate 4.
    It is obvious, therefore, that unless the openings between the screens faced staight up the pipe, the Decoyman could not properly continue to show himself behind the fowl in order to drive them up. In fact all that the fowl in the pipe can see between them and the advancing Decoyman, are the screens viewed edgeways. The same with the man and the ducks.     The space behind the screens should be carefully cleared of crackling twigs, or dry leaves, and plenty of sawdust strewn along a path is a sure safeguard against the noise of footfalls. The screens to be placed on smooth turf, which latter can extend 6 ft. in their rear.
    Each 12 ft. working screen will require four oak stakes 4 in. X 2 ½ in., 9 ft. long, and 5 ft. 6 in. above ground, with three cross-bars 2 ¼ in. x 1 ¼ in. nailed to them, as shown on next page.
    The 28 ft. screen at the pipe's mouth will want eight similar posts and rails, the longest breast-wall screen six.
    The reeds that cover the framework of posts and rails are placed roots at head and foot and points in the centre, and project 6 in. above the rails. They are tightly packed so as to lie nice and level.
    The screens when in course of construction will each require two men, so as to pass the tying cord through from one side to the other by means of a I ft. long, wooden needle.
    Three thinner laths, called tying laths, 1 1/8 x 2 in. will be also wanted for each screen, to hold the reed firmly, and between which and the larger fixed laths the reeds are secured by lashing the laths together through and through. (See next page.)
    The reeds are pressed side by side from one end of the screen to the other, so that not a chink of light can be seen between them.
    The posts of the screens project on their pipe side.