HISTORY OF DECOYS. | |
| Old Hall (2). A mile to the E. of and near the Old Hall Decoy just described, in the same marshes, are to be seen traces of a small Decoy for Teal, long since disused, and of which no particulars are now obtainable. Mersea Island, or west Mersea Decoy, on the N. bank of the Black-water, 8 miles S. of Colchester, and 1½ miles E. of West Mersea village. In a "General View of the Agriculture of the County of Essex," by the Secretary of the Board of Agriculture, 8vo, London, 1807, the following account is given of the Decoy on Mersea Island (vol. ii. p. 361):-- "One of the best, if not the most considerable Decoy in the county, is on Mersea Island, and rented, with a small farm of about sixty acres, by Mr. Buxton, of Layer de la Haye. He was so obliging as to accompany me from thence into Mersea, and to show me his Decoy. Not having before viewed a Decoy in the taking season, I had not remarked the precaution of each person taking a piece of lighted turf on a table-fork in his hand to approach the Decoy; as the wild ducks, it is said, would smell the person without caution, and immediately quit the pond. I found the expenses of this Decoy considerable: two men attend it, who are paid above £100 a year; repairs, net, rents, &c., amount in all to about £300 a year Ducks are sometimes as low as 14S. a dozen. The contrivance for taking Dunbirds was new to me. At the Decoy for them near Ipswich [the Brantham Decoy is here alluded to.-Author], there are a series of very high poles, to which the nets are attached, for taking them in their flight; and these poles are permanent. At this Mersea Decoy, to which this bird resorts in large quantities as well as ducks, the net poles are lowered when not at work. Mr. Lee has a Decoy at Goldhanger, in which he took at one haul one waggon load and two cart-loads of Dunbirds; but the disturbance made frightened such as escaped so much, that he took no more that season." Mersea Island is often spoken of as East and West Mersea. The island is not divided, and it is called thus to distinguish its extremities. It is close to the north bank of the Blackwater Estuary. The Mersea Island Decoy was discontinued 15 years ago on account of the shore-gunners, who were able by reason of its proximity to the coast, to disturb it with shooting. It was originally a Pochard pond, and is situated on land known as " Bacon's Farm." | |
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