Anterior-posterior view (front) of White-winged Scoter, 1952-192.257
1 2017-06-23T13:01:55-07:00 Lesley Day Mirling 3670b61b9eba655d6cf36db8e509081714fc05b1 4136 4 Example of a slat-and-canvas construction. This radiograph was produced in the Clinical Radiology department at the University of Vermont Medical Center. plain 2017-08-06T07:06:26-07:00 1952-192.257 Shelburne Museum Nancie Ravenel bc84e2b969fab7c5f039797f42318c7fcfc8159bThis page is referenced by:
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White-winged Scoter, 1952-192.257
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Made c. 1900 by Bert Hunt
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This white-winged scoter decoy was described in the museum records as having a wire frame body covered with black canvas, however, radiographs show that the frame is not made of metal. The decoy appears similar to slatted Canada goose 1952-192.15 but has a more rounded, voluminous shape.
The process of making “slat-and-canvas” decoys of similar appearance to this scoter is described by George Ross Starr, Jr. in Decoys of the Atlantic Flyway (1974). Ash slats one inch wide by no more than 1/8 inch thick were steamed and bent over interior, removable shaping blocks and attached within notches cut in the baseboard. The attachment of the slats combined with removal of the interior shaping blocks was a very specific and systematic process wherein the blocks were removed in a specific order so that they did not remain within the finished framework. The frame was then covered with a single piece of wet canvas, draped over the frame and anchored down by the attachment of the head with nails. The canvas was pulled taught around the frame and secured to the bottom board with copper nails.
The metal hardware securing the internal frame slats to the base board, the lead weight, and the tacks that attach the canvas to the bottom board and lower tail are clearly visible in the anterior-posterior view. Other features of note visible in this view are the wood grain of the bottom board, the pine spine that runs through the center of the back (wood grain visible in volume rad slice), and the slat ribs (light, curved, parallel bands). Nails corresponding with the edges of these bands secure the lower edges of the bands to the outer edges of the bottom board. Nails also secure the slats to the spine.
In the lateral view of the front end, a wood block is visible under head. The block is secured to spine with many nails and head is nailed to block with five nails: two in the front, two in the back and one from the side. The texture of the canvas is also noted.
