WILDFOWL PRESERVATION. 495 



shooting is the staple sport and livelihood of the 

 coast gunner, and as no possible harm can accrue to 

 these birds, however late they were shot, in regard 

 to their nesting, the shooter should be allowed at 

 all times to follow and kill them if he can. 



The Wildgoose tribe are not mentioned in the 

 schedule of the Act, so that all Geese found inland, 

 seldom on salt water, may be legally killed at any 

 time by leave of owner or occupier of the land. 

 Whereas the Brent Goose, which never goes inland 

 or even above high-water mark, has the same pro- 

 tection as Wild-duck (except that the penalty for 

 killing the former is lower, there being, of course, 

 no owner outside high-water mark to give leave). 

 This is absurd and invidious. Brent Geese do not 

 breed anywhere in Europe but in Nova Zembla, 

 Grinnell Land, and such far-off places ; and probably 

 in Polar lands yet unvisited by man. 



As to Wigeon, practically they do not nest in the 

 British Islands, and the few that do so in the far 

 north of Scotland are then so isolated that their 

 protection is fanciful. Their date of nesting is also 

 so late as to be well outside any close time. 



Brent and Wigeon are what the fowlers pin their 

 hopes on, and it is unfair that because some fowl 

 really require careful looking after, those that do 

 not, and which are all-in-all to the fowler, should be 

 taken from him equally with those that do. 



A few decoys that lie near the coast and they 

 are very few take Wigeon, and they sometimes do 

 well with these birds on their return flight north- 

 wards in March. Their owners would be glad of 

 an extension in the matter of Wigeon, which, 



