he end of the pipe.

"You see you have no risk of starving, Master Deane," observed Burdale,
as he assisted in ringing the necks of the captive birds. "We live like
princes here, as far as food is concerned; and when the weather allows
it, and we can send across the fens, we could always get a good market
for our game."

"We're not always so lucky as we have just been," observed the fowler;
"we have a good many enemies who try to prevent our success. Sometimes
I have seen a heron sit on the top of the outermost arch, just waiting
to dive down and catch some fish he may see swimming below. Now as long
as that heron sits there, not a bird will ever come up that pipe, not
knowing what trick he will play them, and our only chance is to try
another. There are some ducks, too, which nothing will tempt to come up
the pipe. They are the _pochard_, or, as we call them here, pokers.
Now they're the cunningest birds you ever saw! If ever they find
themselves within the mouth, they will suddenly dive and swim out again,
generally making the other birds follow them. At other times they will
stop just at the mouth, where the barley is floating about, and swim
backwards and forwards till they have eaten the whole of it up, and then
off again they will go, laughing at the way they have deceived us. The
worst of all, perhaps, is when an otter builds his house near the mouth.
At first we could not find out what was the matter when no birds would
ever come near, and it was not till I caught the gentleman one day, that
I found out the reason why. No birds are more timid than these
wild-fowl. All the work about the decoy we have to do at night, for if
they hear any sounds they're not accustomed to, they will keep away from
it. As few people ever come out here we are safe enough; but if
strangers were to come, or any body was to fire a gun, we might not
catch a bird for weeks afterwards. However, masters, the wind has
shifted a little, and we will try another pipe; so come along."

The next pipe was worked in the same way as the first. The decoy-ducks
performed their part to admiration; Toby, the little piper, doing his in
a way to gain the applause of all who saw him. His reward was a piece
of cheese at the end of his day's work, for although a number of ducks
were piled up around him, not one of them would he touch.

"Oh, no, no!" said his master; "it's one of the chief things he has to
be careful about. If he had a taste