WIGEON. 185 



ANAS PENELOPE, Linn^us. 

 WIGEON. 



The Wigeoiij or (as it is known to our shore gunners) 

 the " Smee," is one of the most regular, as also one of 

 our most abundant visitors, arriving towards the end of 

 September, and finally departing towards the end of 

 March ; the gunners in the Wash consider November 

 the best month for wigeon passing south, and look for 

 the commencement of their northern migration about 

 the time of Lynn Mart, the 14th February, but their 

 movements are greatly influenced by the prevailing 

 weather ; and Mr. Monement tells me he has known flocks 

 to arrive from the north as late as February, notably 

 February 12th, 1889. Large numbers of wigeons frequent 

 the decoy ponds and other quiet places of resort upon 

 their first arrival, but very few are at that time taken. 

 Formerly the best season at the decoys for this species 

 was early in March, when the birds congregate previous 

 to their departure, and passing flocks often remain to 

 rest or are detained by bad weather ; now, however, owing 

 to the close-time, the birds passing northward almost 

 entirely escape, the number taken depending very much 

 upon the season ; thus in 1865-6, out of 631 fowl 

 taken at Sir S. Crossley's decoy at Fritton, 274 were 

 wigeons, whereas in 1867-8 there were only fifty wigeons 

 out of 2,278 fowl ; and in 1884-5 only three wigeons 

 were taken in a total of 2,048. 



On February 12th, 1880, 1 visited the Fritton decoys. 

 Although December had been a very good month, the 

 season was then too open, and, notwithstanding the 

 large number of ducks, wigeons, and teals on the lake, 

 food being abundant the fowl would not " pipe." The 

 view of the birds through the decoy screen was charming 

 in the extreme ; several pochards were close to the 

 pipe, and their bustling, active movements, as they 

 dived and chased one another on the water, were very 

 pretty. There were only two wigeons, a male and a 

 female, within working distance, and these we took; 

 most lovely birds they were, the chaste beauty of their 

 plumage only equalled by the elegance of their forms. 

 2a 



