"POKER" DUCKS 235 



windward of them, and they'll rise " right face and e3'es 

 at you." Pochards generally sit well together on the water, 

 but are best to shoot at when they first rise from the 

 lagoon — that is, if you are going before the wind yourself 

 — and gunners knowing this, wait till they turn off; for 

 they do not rise like mallard, widgeon, and teal, who jump 

 straight from the water, head to wind. On the other hand, 

 pochards of all kinds cannot rise directly out of the water, 

 but flutter, run on the water, and flying up, turn and go 

 before the wind, the female often calling auk, auk, auk. 

 Again, if they sit in straggly groups on the lagoon, the gunner 

 waits till they rise, for then they come together, and he 

 catches them when they are twenty yards up, drowning the 

 roar of their wings with the roar of his mighty swivel. The 

 cripples make straight for the shore, as do other fowl, only 

 they always keep by the water, whereas mallard, widgeon, and 

 teal will stray far inland over the walls into the marshes. 



The gunner loves the "poker" because he does not desert 

 the frozen lagoons, but, with the coots, frequents the straggling 

 wakes. Nor do they desert the Broadland till everything is 

 frozen hard — then they too go, for they must eat. And the 

 gunner kills numbers of them in hard weather ; for if shot 

 on the wakes, they merely fly up, going round and round 

 over the frozen broad, but soon returning ; but if the gunner 

 harass them too much, they'll go off in search of a quieter 

 wake, and if such be found, they never return to the dangerous 

 wake first frequented. They are curious, too, and will come 

 right up to a wily gunner hidden in the stuff, coming in one 

 or tw^o at a time, and when he taps on the boat, they fly out, 

 and he gets a shot. Shooters, too, say you can in the dawn 

 scull up to them, and by putting your hand over the side of 

 the punt you can sometimes catch them, for they will come 

 to it out of curiosity; whereas a mallard wouldn't come near 

 you, for he can smell you. 



On bright moonlit frosty nights hardy gunners go down 

 to an unfrequented broad, where there is a wake or rain- 



