WILD-FOWLING AFLOAT BY NIGHT 203 



At the hour of evening flight ' trip ' after ' trip ' of 

 birds may be heard flying up to their feeding-grounds, 

 but they will not collect together in large numbers 

 much before midnight. In many of our overshot 

 harbours widgeon do not ' flight ' to their feeding- 

 grounds, when the moon is full and clear, until the 

 tide is about to leave the mud. Frequently I have 

 heard considerable numbers of widgeon and ducks 

 passing overhead from the coast into harbour even at 

 nine and ten o'clock at night when the tides have 

 been late. In less disturbed quarters, where fowl 

 are enabled to acquire a strong ' haunt,' they will 

 often visit the. same mudbanks nightly, if the state 

 of the tide permit them to feed there. Towards the 

 end of the season, however, I have observed that this 

 habit is subject to some modification, and owing 

 possibly to the fact that the best of the weed in their 

 old haunts has by then been consumed, they begin to 

 use other ground where it would have been futile to 

 look for them in early winter. 



Punt-gunners hold different views respecting the 

 advisability of shooting widgeon and ducks on the 

 ebb tide, many being of opinion that it is bad policy 

 to do so before they .have settled down and fed for 

 several hours. There are, however, certain advantages 

 which are worthy of notice when shooting on the 



