Page 99 HISTORY OF DECOYS.

HISTORY OF DECOYS.


Eventually a great misfortune befell the pond in the opening of the Sheerness Railway within 250 yards of it. Cement works were also built within a mile, the neighbourhood became much more inhabited, and the use of the gun was universal. But the death-blow to the pond was the lowering of the general drainage of the surrounding marsh land 4 feet. This dried up acres of shallow water; the ducks ceased to arrive in any numbers, and some eighteen years ago the pond of 1½ acres of water and its cover of about 6 acres were cleared and planted with fruit trees. "The birds were taken in the usual way, being fascinated by a dog running up net-covered ditches called 'pipes,' the dog being trained to appear and disappear, always going from the pond and towards the tunnelnet at the extreme end of the pipe. As many as 20 ducks would be taken at a time without the birds in the pond being alarmed. The dog at times would wear a coat of many colours just for a change, and be successful. I once made a good take by accident. A stoat hunted a rabbit up the 'pipe,' running through a hole in the screen near the ducks. Being on the watch, I was astonished to see birds swimming up the pipe, and in a moment I was behind them; they flew from me into the smaller end, and were caught. " The fowl taken at my Decoy were Ducks, Teal, Wigeon, Pintail, Gadwall, Pochard, Goldeneye, Tufted Duck and Shoveller. " Teal began to arrive by the end of August : the ducks a month later. Some of the ducks were bred in England, and we called them Tame-flyers.' A few were crossed with tame ducks, and formed a good lead,' as they left the pond at sunset and returned every morning just at dawn, often with numerous companions, who would fly round several times before alighting, the regular visitants coming straight in from any height with a rush! so that the Decoyman on the watch could tell how many 'fresh birds' he had each day. The pond was supplied by an artesian well ; and during rainy weather floods passed through and helped to prevent its freezing up. Severe frost often caused great expense, as men had to keep a boat moving all night, only leaving off just as the birds came in at dawn. At such times three out of the four pipes would be frozen up, the birds seated out on the ice coming occasionally to drink at the open pipe. The catching was then assisted by a free use of canary seed and other small seeds and corn, the tame-flyers coming up freely and eating greedily.