Decoys are of so great value that many acts of parliament have been passed for their regulation and protection. A decoy which has been established for twenty years enjoys certain privileges secured by law, particularly as to the quietude of its vicinity, which must not be disturbed by the firing of guns at wild-fowl apparently going to the pond, even by the proprietors of land over which they pass.
Flight remain to be noticed. These are used chiefly for the capture of pochards or dunbirds, which very seldom enter the pipes of the decoyer. The same pond is sometimes used both as a decoy-pond and a flight-pond. The pochard, having its legs placed far back, cannot rise from the water so suddenly as the wild-duc,k or wid geon, and skims the surface for many yards. proceeding by a very gradual ascent. To capture flights of pochards, nets are used which are fixed to a cumbrous apparatus of poles at the side of the pond. The pond may be about 70 or 80 yds. square. On an embankment, about 10 yds. from tile water, strong posts are fixed, about 12 ft. high, two together, and about 50 yds. apart—the corners of the pond being generally occu pied by trees. Further back, about 50 ft., are slighter posts, about 16 ft. high. Other posts are required for the working of the net, the position and use of which we cannot explain; but the purpose of the whole is that the net, which is of the form of a parallelo gram, may be suddenly thrown up into the air. In order to this, it is attached to cross bars, which work between the twin posts, and heavily-weighted boxes attached to two poles aid in bringing it into an erect position when required. The fowler's skill relates very much to the moment of raisin•of his net, which he does by drawing a bolt or trigger. The net ought to rise so as fully to confront the birds as they issue from the pond. 1 ens
are formed on the embankment in front of the net of reed-screens about 3 ft. high, by 2 or 3 ft. square, and the birds falling into them on being thrown back from the net, are caught, not being able to rise again. The number of pochards caught at once is some times very great. For full particulars concerning wild-fowling, the reader is referred to col. Hawkers well-known work on Shooting, and to The Wildfowler, by Folkard. An act was passed in July, 1876, for the preservation of wild-fowl, making it punishable by fine to kill them, or to use any instrument for that object, during the breeding season— Feb. 15 to July 10.
Folkard, in his excellent work upon wild-fowling, remarks that writers upon sport ing literature generally apply correct terms to game and birds of the land, while water fowl are invariably classed by them as " flocks. ' The modern terms, as applied to water are, according to Folkard, as follows: "A herd of swans. A gaggle of geese (when on the water). A skein of geese (when on wing). A paddling of ducks (when on the water). A team of wild-ducks (when flying in the air). A surd or suit of mal lards. A company of widgeon. A flight or rush of dunbirds. A spring of teal. A dopping of sheldrakes. A covert of coots. A herd of curlews. A sedge of herons. .1+. or congregation of plovers. A desert of lapwings. A walk of snipes. A fling of oxbirds. of ruffs. A small number of wild-fowl, as ducks and geese (about 80 or 40), is termed a trip.' The same of widgeon, dunbirds, or teal, is termed a • bunch; and a smaller number (from 10 to 20) is called a 'little knob.' Of swans, it would be said, a 'small herd ;' and sometimes of geese, a `little gaggle,' or a 'small skein;' and so of ducks, a • short' or `long team.'" •