DUCK. 11 



The shoveller ( Sf^utiila clypcata) gets his name from his 

 broad-tipped bill. I3y no means a dainty eater, under some 

 conditions he is said to be very good eating (20). I have 

 seen one only of this species in the Huangpu. 



Of diving ducks we may mention — 



The pochai'd, f F////i,'7//(r fcrinafixnd the tufted duck 

 f F. cristdta ) neither of which is abundant here. The former 

 is sometimes known at home as '"The Redheaded Poker", 

 from the ruddy chestunt of his cranium. He is difficult of 

 approach, far more so than his cousin the tufted duck, which 

 rather trusts to swimming than flying for escape. 



Confined to the Hast, and therefore specially intei'est- 

 ing, is the extremely beautiful Aix iialericulafa or mandarin 

 duck, whichaddsto the beauty of its gorgeous purple, green, 

 white and chestnut colouring an equal beauty in crest and 

 cui'l.- It pei'ches on trees, and is a model of conjugal love 

 and fidelity. Another of the pochard family is the Siberian 

 white-eyed duck {FuUi>uhi baeri), said to be numerous at 

 times, though scarce as a rule. 



Duck-shooting has. of course, an affinity with that which 

 ia\s low the goose, but from the greater numbers of species 

 and individuals, and from the fact that many kinds of ducks 

 delight in inland waters at times, if not altogether, the or- 

 dinary China sportsman finds the latter far more often com- 

 ing to bag than is the case with the v.-eightier goose. Punt, 

 decoy, and flight shooting may be had, however, as well as 

 the haphazard opportunities of the day's tramp. Two of my 

 friends once had a spell of splendid flight sht)oting from be- 

 hind the cover of the parapet of a city wall! But I have 

 never known a China sportsman who has made such a busi- 

 ness of wildfowling as to go through a season with an aver- 

 age of 39:!: birds per shot, a number which 1 find recorded 

 with some pride by the performer! I hope I never shall. A 

 fact to be noted is this, that ducks always come into and up 

 the wind before alighting. If shooting in the moonlight the 

 gunner will find the birds more clearly defined if he shoots 

 towards the light. The size of shot used varies all the way 

 from No. (S for teal to A, B, and even SSG. Ducks have 

 always been considered fair sport for every bod}'. In daj^s 

 gone by a whole Norfolk village would turn out headed by 

 the parson and the squire for a spell on the marshes when 

 the autum flights came in. 



Of the mei'gansers or sawbills, Mr. Wade mentions 

 three in his book, the goosander, the red-breasted mergan- 

 ser, and the smew. These, however, are fish-eaters, not 

 ducks, and the serrations or teeth along the edges of theii' 

 manibles make one think of the toothed birds of bygone 

 epochs. The grebes, too, may be mentioned amongst the 



