THE WIGEON. 179 
I am satisfied in my own mind, that the wigeon 
does not stay here to breed. All my endeavours to 
find its nest have hitherto been ineffectual ; nor can 
I recollect to have met with one well authenticated 
account of the wigeon’s eggs having ever been found 
in England. 
Formerly, I used to consider the wigeon as one 
of those migratory birds ,of which little could ever 
be known, as it merely came here to spend the 
winter months amongst us, in order to avoid the 
dismal tempests which were raging in its own native 
land. Under this erroneous impression, I always 
availed myself of every opportunity to get a shot at 
the wigeons. Of course, this made them exceed- 
ingly shy and wary ; for persecution soon shows to 
birds the danger of placing themselves within the 
reach of man. Hence their visits here were few 
and transitory ; and sometimes weeks elapsed with- 
out my seeing a single wigeon on the water. 
Since I have shut the temple of Janus, and pro- 
claimed undisturbed repose to those of the feathered 
race which come to seek for shelter here, the 
wigeons are in great abundance ; and, from the time 
of their arrival to the period of their departure, they 
may be found here every day, whether in a frosty, 
a snowy, or an open season. A stranger, on observ- 
ing them, would hardly suppose that they are wild 
fowl; for he will often see nearly one hundred of 
them congregating with the tame ducks, not sixty 
yards from the kitchen windows. Protection has 
restored to them their innate familiarity ; and now 
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