Ducks and Decoys
The singular success of the ' duck adoption " schemes has had several satisfactory results, or accompaniments To begin with, it has brought in over £500 to the " International Committee for Bird Preservation," as their most interesting annual report (price 2s.) indicates ; but, more than that, the demand for (ringed " ducks ") has indirectly increased the number of places where the duck are studied, caught up and` ringed. The East of England begins to rival the West, which, thanks to the Orielton decoy neat Pembroke, had a strong leadership. Both Essex and Northampton now possess ringing stations, and I believe that the Northamptonshire decoy (which I visited in its less regenerate days) is the oldest decoy in the kingdom. The result is that adopters will not now be disappointed. Five shillings sent to Miss Barclay Smith at the South Kensington Museum will give them hews, if any, about the migra- tion of their bird. Several have been reported even behind the iron curtain.
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