WILDFOWL SENTRIES. 407 



departure for the open sea. On the other hand, if 

 the fowler maintains perfect silence, and moves neither 

 hand nor foot; after a time, no enemy appearing, the 

 birds regard it as a false alarm, and gradually recom- 

 mence feeding: this the fowler knows by hearing 

 their talk beginning again ; as soon as it does so, he 

 cautiously continues his advance, carefully listening to 

 the voices of the birds, until he gets near enough, if 

 he is fortunate enough to do so, to get a favourable shot. 



This system of sentries, and vigilance, on the part 

 of numbers, always renders the creeping up to large 

 flocks a matter of much greater difficulty than if 

 there were only a few birds present; at no time, so 

 far as our own experience goes, are fowl so constantly 

 and keenly on the alert as when assembled in these 

 large numbers. To approach them with any chance 

 of success therefore, the fowler must have a thorough 

 acquaintance with the habits and voices of all the 

 different kinds of birds which he is at all likely to meet 

 with. Large flocks, such as we are at present con- 

 sidering, generally consist of a number of different 

 varieties of wildfowl, such as wild duck, widgeon, 

 and teal, and other kinds of birds which frequent the 

 coast, all of which have their distinctive call notes. 

 Consequently, " the fowler (says Mr. Folkard) must 

 become acquainted with the language of wildfowl, 

 and be able to know by the talk of the birds when 

 he is suspected, and when they have thrown off their 

 alarm. It may require years of experience to become 

 familiar with such signs and expressions, but when 

 once learnt the hunter reaps his reward in the extra 

 success attending his exertions. " * " The faintest croak 



* The Wildfo-wler, by H. C. Folkard, 1875, p. 113. 



