Occasional JVofes. li3o 



game laws, I beg to record my own experience in noting the 

 irregular breeding habits oi; the Connnon Brown-backed 

 Goose, the Brown-backed Duck, and a species of Teal which 

 bears a strong resemblance in colouring to the above-men- 

 tioned birds. I find entries in my diary during the months 

 of July and early August 1902, of having met w^th broods 

 of squeakers of all the above three kinds in the several pans 

 in the Phillipstown-Petrusville district, Cape Colony. 



" One can hardly assume that during the months mentioned 

 these various birds reared broods out of the ordinary closed 

 season by accident, and I ventured to infer from these 

 instances that wild-fowl in particular have no specified period 

 for nesting in this country. 



" One naturally refrained from shooting them under the 

 conditions, and it would appear extremely difficult for the 

 game associations of South Africa to fix a closed season for 

 wild-fowl while at the same time exercising that protection 

 so necessary for the preservation of the most beautiful of our 

 sporting birds. — I am, etc., 



" Britisher." 



" Wild Duck Shooting. 

 " lo the Editor of the Leader. 



" Sir, — With great interest I have of late read the different 

 letters r^ the closing season for shooting Wild Ducks, and 

 perhaps my experiences may be of slight interest. For 

 twelve years I have lived at Booysens, and only found that 

 Wild Duck and Geese make their appearance during the 

 rainy season. Now, during the whole of last shooting season 

 1 did not see a single Duck or Goose on the Crown Heef or 

 any other dams running towards Langlaagte ; but since the 

 rain set in you can see hundreds of Ducks flocking down 

 after sundown into the shallow part of the Crown Beef dam, 

 feeding there during the night, and are off' at dawn, after 

 the first blasting operations commence, to a quieter spot at 

 Heronmere. 



" I have shot a oreat number of Ducks from October till 



