AUTUMN ON THE MOORS 21 D 



edge. There is seldom any extent of foreshore where 

 fowl can sit dry, though in some, as at St Mary's 

 Loch— 



"... A fringe of silver sand 

 Marks where the water meets the land." 



Where the peat-formation is exposed in section, trunks 

 and roots of ancient oaks, pine, and other trees — up to 

 elevations of 1200 feet or more — attest a period when 

 these open moors were clad with forest. 



Of the duck-tribe that frequent these loughs in autumn, 

 first both in numbers and importance, stands the mallard. 

 This is, of course, a resident throughout the year, and 

 has been on the moors all summer. But it is not until 

 October that mallards show up in force upon the open 

 waters. Previous to that, they have been undergoing 

 their heavy moult, the drakes in "eclipse," and during 

 July incapable of flight. That period they spend in deep 

 seclusion, skulking among the lush marsh-growths of the 

 summer. Not until October does the mallard recover 

 full plumage, and even an old drake, shot as late as 

 October 10th, though apparently complete, still lacked 

 the characteristic curly feathers of the tail. 



Not a sign of migration from abroad can be detected 

 on these inland waters. Though one may find, on an 

 October day, as many as 150 or 200 mallards assembled 

 on a single lough (where few or none were seen a month 

 before), yet these are all the heavy native-bred ducks. 

 They probably constitute the entire produce of the wild 

 country for miles around, and now, in regained strength 

 and self-confidence, they dare the dangers of open water. 

 But there is not a foreigner among them. The two races, 

 resident and migrant, are readily distinguishable, and 

 besides they keep apart. , The foreign-going mallards 



