Page 47 DECOY DUCKS.

DECOY DUCKS.

    The Tame Decoy Ducks. -It is often imagined, by those ignorant of Decoying, that the tame Decoys act a part, and are aware that they are used to deceive the wild ducks.
    Such is not the case, they are perfectly innocent of the nefarious uses they are put to by the Decoyman.
    They merely obey their own instincts. If their wild brethren follow them, the latter must look after themselves. It is no affair of the tame ducks.     As they never suffer any harm, the Decoy ducks see nothing wrong or suspicious about the Decoy or the pipes.
    If the dog appears from behind the screens they swim up to him: they know him well, he is an old friend. The reason they follow him is because, whenever he shows, they know grain is to be found in the pipe, thrown by the Decoyman from behind his screens. So when they see the dog they know that food is forthcoming.
    In the same way they are ever ready to swim up a pipe for grain thrown into it at any time, whether they see the dog or not.
    They are always hungry during the day, as they are only fed regularly in the evening when the wild ducks have left the Decoy for the night in search of food.
    The Decoy ducks are taught to paddle surely and steadily up any pipe required, feeding meantime on the grain thrown to them from behind the screens. They are always fed in the pipe itself, and only get a good meal in the evening, as I have said. They soon learn to swim up a pipe fearlessly. During the day they require judicious feeding. For as before pointed out, if too hungry they will rush up the pipe after the food, or to the Decoyman's whistle, with such vehemence as to cause alarm to the wild birds.
    If too well fed they will fail to come at all, or so sluggishly as to be of no use in decoying their wild brethren.
    The low whistle of the Decoyman should bring the Decoy ducks to obey his wishes from any part of the pond, that is, if he feeds them as they should be fed.
    The tame ducks can number from 20 to 30, and the best are a cross between wild ducks and small brown farmyard.
    Save four or five at most, avoid pure bred call-ducks, white or brown; they are too noisy.