Page 115 HISTORY OF DECOYS.

HISTORY OF DECOYS.

The author, unfortunately, never carried out his intention of writing 'rationally' upon decoying, with a knowledge of the practice added ; and decoys themselves had almost become things of the past before any accurate description of their construction and working was written. "Such was the early life and training of this eccentric individual. Of his summer occupation, when following his calling, the following quotation from page 11 will give some idea :-

	"'Born in a coy, and bred in a mill, Taught water to grind, and Ducks for to kill; Seeing Coots clapper claw, lying flat on their backs,* Standing upright to row, and crowning of jacks; Laying spring nets for to catch Ruff and Reeve, Stretched out in a boat with a shade to deceive. Taking Geese, Ducks, and Coots, with nets upon stakes, Riding in a calm day for. to catch moulted Drakes; Gathering eggs to the top of one's wish, Cutting tracks in the flags for decoying of fish. Seeing Rudds run in shoals 'bout the side of Gill sike, Being dreadfully venom'd by rolling in slake; Looking hingles, and sprinks, trammels, hoop-nets, and teamings, Few persons I think can explain all their meanings.'

"The above is a most interesting catalogue of the numerous out-door occupations of a Fen-man, and of the modes and engines formerly used in fishing and fowling. It is impossible here even to enumerate, much more to describe in detail, the various forms of nets and snares employed at the time Hall wrote, or the ingenious resources made use of for approaching fowl, as well as the multifarous nets and devices for capturing the fish which so abounded. Of his winter occupation Hall says nothing ; but, doubtless, reed-cutting occupied much of his time ; his domestic Geese also required his attention, and these, with the Duck decoy, would provide ample employment for the shortened days.

"This doubtless, alludes to the defensive attitude assumed by the Coot when fighting or hard pressed. Gill sike, mentioned lower down, is the name of an old drain in the Holland Fen ; and slake* is, probably, an accumulation of stagnant mud. In a Commission of Sewers, 16 16-17, slake is more than once referred to as a stoppage of the water (Wells' 'Bedford Level,' vol. ii. P. 47, &c.). As to the meaning of 'crowning of jacks,' I can only venture a suggestion, that it was most likely some method of capturing Pike, probably by striking them on the bead with the 'quant-pole ' used for propelling the boat, when they lay in shallow water at spawning time."