HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



1 1 



mens. Size variable ; average about ^^ or jjj-i of an 

 inch in diameter. A. discoides, whicli is, I think, the 

 prevailing form here, is in my opinion a mere 

 variety, and not worthy of a specific designation. 

 The only difference between it and the preceding 

 is that the fundus is lower, the height of the 

 ■shell being only about one quarter of its breadth. 

 Irregular, or deformed forms are not of uncommon 

 ■occurrence. 



J. E. Lord. 

 Ra'i'teitstall. 



A DAY AMONG THE WILDFOWL. 



W' E started early this morning from the old and 

 well-known village of Bosham on our 

 weekly outing among the birds, and anticipation ran 

 liigh, for our two old boatmen, Kit and Bill, told us 

 that never since the " Rooshen War" had so many 

 wildfowl been seen inside and out the harbour. A 

 fresh wind blows from the north-west, and as the tide 

 is just at low ebb, we can scud down the channel 

 between the mudlands, and so in a great measure 

 escape the ice, which is now here in all but Icelandic 

 severity. A hasty look round to see if all is ready 

 for action and nothing forgotten, and then up sail 

 and off. Day has just commenced, and the birds are 

 astir and by this time fully aware that all men here 

 have guns, and all boats under weigh have men. 

 Close to hand sits solemn and still the heron, 

 apparently fast asleep ; for once he is allowed to 

 stay, but had he been old, and in good plumage, his 

 time would have been short. As the light varies 

 other forms come into view. Carrion crows, gulls of 

 all kinds and sizes, and all eager for the smallest of 

 things in the way of an early breakfast. Curlews by 

 dozens, starting up with their weird whistling ; 

 whaups, or trant?, as they are called, very like the 

 curlew, only smaller ; turnstones, dotterel, dunlin, 

 in thousands— so many in fact that one gunner shot 

 twenty-seven dozen and five at one shot — and last, but 

 mot least, the homely ever-present rook, driven from 

 <he fields and pastures to the muds and flats to pick 

 up a strange living by the tide. On scuds the boat, 

 her crew all alert for sport, and as strange birds do 

 not visit here every winter, each is anxious to find at 

 least one prize as a memento of this severe time. 

 ^'Burds ahead," quickly says Kit, and with that from 

 ^he bows he produces a long and well-worn old 

 fowling-piece, which he said had done great work in 

 his father's time. Not a movement on board, and as 

 the boat comes up to them away they go, all over 

 the place, giving us just the slightest chance to score, 

 and out falls a mallard with a dull thud— dead. This 

 is the commencement of a glorious day, and now 

 that the guns have started the game, strings of birds 

 are seen passing right and left, some going up and 



some down, all in a hurr}', and all out of shot. Our 

 mallard retrieved, on we go, for our destination is 

 some five miles lower down, to the mouth of 

 Chichester Harbour, and as long before daylight we 

 have heard guns there, we know good sport is going 

 on, and want to be in the thick of it. Not very far 

 down we fall in with three divers, which prove to be 

 golden-eye ducks, and as we run down on them 

 they rise against the wind all together, and the long 

 gun brings them down in a pretty little heap, 

 fortunately too lifeless to try to get away. Still on 

 we go, and the farther we go the more the excite- 

 ment grows, for there are birds everywhere in sight, 

 and if this is so inside the harbour, what must it be 

 outside? Soon we get near the old coastguard ship, 

 and a short council of war is held to decide where to 

 go. Eirst we all land, and cross the shingle bank 

 that divides the harbour waters from the outside sea, 

 and what a sight meets our view ! As far as the eye 

 can reach are wildfowl, large and small, on the 

 water ; surely the whole Arctic supply is before us, 

 so vast is the number. There are acres of brent 

 geese — thousands and thousands of them. Here and 

 there grey-hags, bean and white-fronted geese show 

 up, and amongst them two fine specimens of the. 

 snow-goose. Ducks and widgeons in hundreds, a 

 few teal, scamp and pochard, tufted duck, here 

 and there a Black Sea duck (Scoter). Diving birds 

 there are of many kinds popping up here and there, 

 grebes of one or two sorts in sight at once, with 

 razor-bills and guillemots, and coming along from 

 Selsey Bill is a long string of wild swans. We wait 

 to see no more, but rush to the boat and quickly get 

 one gun on Hayling Beach, another on the Point of 

 Wittering Beach, and the boat itself right in the 

 fairway of the harbour's mouth, to intercept this 

 party, should they come inside. But 'tis no good, 

 they just sail majestically along over Hayling Island, 

 then turn up the left wing, and round into the 

 Emsworth Channel, and are safe for a time. Our 

 time is fully occupied in shooting with more or less 

 success at the different parties coming or going, and 

 fine sport it proves. Now a duck, now a widgeon, 

 and now a goose comes tumbling down, first from 

 one gun and then another, and still the hungry ones 

 come on, for the food in the harbour flats. While 

 we have been at our sport, other people have been 

 busy, at one time no less than thirteen punt-gunners 

 are in sight at once, and every now and again the 

 roar of a great gun adds to the general commotion. 



The day now wears on apace, and as the shooting 

 is for a time slack a stroll round to see what the 

 other gunners have got is the order of the day. 

 Erom one we get a pair of shieldrakes, another has 

 some broad-billed scaup-ducks, another a red-breasted 

 merganser, another a splendid goosander, a fine old 

 male bird, and can tell of a puntsman who has shot 

 the hen, which we were afterwards fortunate enough 

 to procure, together with a very beautiful male 



