THE WILD DUCK 187 
fledged, and only distinguishable from their parent by their smaller 
size. 
From the rapidity with which young Ducks ‘ scutter ’ along the 
surface of the water, using both feet and wings, they are called 
by sportsmen, ‘flappers’; and from the same habit, no doubt, the 
children’s game of ‘ Ducks-and-drakes ’ was named. The word is 
one with which I have been familiar, like most other people, from 
my earliest years, yet I never thought of its etymology until I was 
passing, a few weeks since, in a steamer down Loch Tarbet. The 
boat disturbed a party of ‘ flappers’’ which were feeding near the 
shore, and as they half flew, half paddled away at a rapid rate, the 
sport and the name suggested themselves to my mind together. 
It is mostly absent from the northern districts of Scotland in winter. 
In marshy districts, both in England and Scotland, these birds 
remain all the year round ; but their numbers are greatly augmented 
in winter by the arrival of large flocks from the north. These 
fly mostly by night, in long lines, and proceed to the fens and salt 
marshes, where they feed until daylight. They then put out to 
sea, and rest, floating on the water, until dusk ; and it is while they 
are on their way to and from these feeding-grounds that the sea- 
side gunners do the greatest execution among them. They fly 
mostly in small parties, and utter no note; but if after dusk a 
shot be fired in the vicinity of a marsh or of a piece of reclaimed 
land intersected by ditches, it is followed by a concert of ‘ quacks ’ 
from all sides, which proves that however small the parties may 
have been, the number of Ducks collectively must be very great. 
In the neighbourhood of the salt marshes in the eastern counties, 
one may meet, in severe winter weather, just before dusk, little 
knots of men setting out on ducking expeditions. Each is furnished 
with a spade, a bag of straw, and a gun. Experience has taught 
these men that the line of flight usually taken by the birds is along a 
narrow creek or arm of the sea, which has on either side a high 
muddy bank. Forsucha point the gunners are making. The use of 
the spade is to dig a hole for concealment in the mud, and the straw 
is intended to furnish a dryseat. It must be a wearisome occupation 
to sit here hour after hour, with nothing to do but to hope that birds 
are coming; and when they come matters are not much mended ; 
for if the shot be successful it will never do to leave the hiding- 
place in order to pick up the booty, or another chance may be 
missed. Three or four hours are thus spent, and on moonlight 
nights a longer time. The slain birds are then collected, a few 
hours are given to rest, and in the morning twilight the same 
scene is re-enacted. 
When it is desired to construct a decoy,! a quiet, shallow pond 
1 Decoy, a corruption of Duck-coy, from the Dutch koos, a cage or pen. 
See Ray and Willughby’s Ornithology, p. 286, where, mention being made of 
a method of capturing wild-fowl which had been introduced into England 
