52 THE FOWLER IN IRELAND. 



killed at a shot four to seven of them by them- 

 selves, all young and small. They will arrive 

 thus the first week of October. This raises the 

 question, how do these immature wildfowl find 

 their way with unerring certainty over pathless 

 seas ? Is it possible they may have been led by 

 the old and experienced to the coast, and then 

 separated to scatter through the adjoining country ? 

 It may be so. Very rare visitants, we- conclude, 

 lose their way or are driven to our shores by 

 violent gales, but these young birds arrive instinc- 

 tively. Can it be that the knowledge of where and 

 how to migrate is imparted from one generation to 

 the next by older birds that have made the journey 

 themselves as taught them by their parents ? Is 

 it that the impulse to migrate is as natural and 

 powerful as the impulse to nest ? It is not to my 

 mind so much a question of why, but rather how, 

 they do this, and find their way. In the far north 

 they have no choice, apparently, but to quit that 

 region when it has become ice-bound, and food 

 and water are no longer procurable. In summer 

 those untrodden wastes afford a natural shelter, 

 without which wildfowl would eventually become 

 extinct. The more civilization extends, the more 

 would the reproduction and very existence of such 

 birds be interfered with and prevented. Severe 

 frosts do not, in my experience, bring more Pintails 

 than might be noticed in mild weather. These 

 ducks year after year frequent their favourite bays 

 and creeks, and will not stray to other spots, though 

 near and equally suitable. 



THE SHOVELLER {Anas clypeata] is more or less 



