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King Country Chronicle, Volume XXXI, Issue 4956, 16 February 1937, Page 6

The friends of a well-known Napier poulterer are still laughing at a practical joke perpetrated at his expense. Among the exhibits unearthed' In a Napier auction mart a day or two ago were two realistic Muscovy duck “decoys,” which an assistant decided to place in one of the poultry cages adorning the mart wall. The anticipated opportunity arrived with the holding of a sale during the afternoon, when the auctioneer, who had been let into the secret, invited bids for “a pair of very fine Muscovy ducks.” There was an immediate response from those assembled in the mart, and two women commenced to bid spiritedly for the “birds,” the amounts offered, with the encouragement of the auctioneer, quickly rising to 2s Bd. Enter the poulterer, Whom the auctioneer immediately invited to grasp the opportunity of purchasing two excellent ducks at a cheap cost. After a glance towards the cage, the unsuspecting victim offered 2s 9d, and without more ado the birds were knocked down to him. His feelings when later he discovered the deception may readily be imagined.