THE GAME-DUCKS 305 



for placing' the shot to best advantage. The middle 

 course is, however, the safest, namely, to fire as soon 

 as ever the forms of the fowl are distinctly distinguishable 

 — say, between sixty and seventy yards, at which dis- 

 tance the pearly grey backs of , the mallards, and the 

 white wing-patches of the old wigeon drakes can be 

 clearly seen. 



To return to the habits of clucks. In the absence of 

 any such favourite diurnal resort as I have — perhaps 

 too lovingly — dilated upon, the bulk of both mallard 

 and wigeon pass the day on the open sea, where the 

 two species associate freely. Even at sea, ducks usually 

 have a distinct predilection in favour of some particular 

 spot, to which they yearly resort, winter after winter. 

 This is generally under the shelter of some point or head- 

 land, or, in the absence of these, of a reef of rock which 

 affords some protection from the sea, where they prefer 

 to sit close outside the line of the breakers. Hence, as the 

 main bodies of duck seldom enter harbour before dark, 

 and leave it again before daybreak, and as on the sea they 

 sit further in-shore than boats usually care to go, they 

 may be overlooked by those not acquainted with their 

 habits. 



With regard to migration, both mallard and wigeon 

 begin to arrive in this country in September. The wigeon 

 are the first to appear, their vanguard often reaching our 

 coast during the first or second week of September, 

 usually in bunches of six to a dozen. Towards the latter 

 part of the month these are followed by small detach- 

 ments of mallard, and from that date onwards constant 

 arrivals of both species keep occurring till the end of 

 October, by which period the full complement of their 

 winter numbers is made up. 



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