THE GAME-DUCKS 311 



zostera. These last show so strong a predilection for 

 fresh water and its productions, that more of them will 

 be shot by lying- in wait about the places where small 

 streams of fresh water from the land run down across 

 the oozes than anywhere else. 



Illustrative of this, I quote the following- from my Art 

 of Wildfoivling (p. 32): — During intensely severe frost 

 in February, 1895, two gunners (brothers), flight-shooting 

 by a trickling- land-spring of fresh water, where it crossed 

 the salt-slakes, shot and fairly bagged during three 

 consecutive nights just preceding the "full of the moon," 

 fifty-one ducks — two-thirds of which were mallards, the 

 rest wigeon. Another night during the same frost, one 

 of these gunners bagged nine mallards in eight shots 

 without the aid of the moon. The nine were shot by 

 starlight as they plumped down on a tiny land-spring — 

 the only fresh water, and the only unfrozen water, over 

 miles of saltings. 



Wigeon, on the other hand, feed exclusively on the 

 green blades of the zostera and other marine algffi 

 and seldom (so far as one can see in the dark) pass 

 beyond the limits of the "full-sea mark." Neither fresh 

 water, grain, nor potatoes have any attractions for them, 

 the great oozy plains being their resort. Here, so soon 

 as the disturbances of the flight-shooters have ceased 

 for the night, they get to work in earnest. An animated 

 scene there must then be under the rays of the moon, 

 could one's eye only pierce her bright but deceptive 

 light. 



To come to terms with wigeon, the best time is during 

 the small hours of the morning, at a period when the tide 

 happens to be from half to three-quarters flood. They 

 have then fed, and will be found congregated about the 



