WIGEON. N ATA TORES. MARECA. 325 



ed than any other species ; for its habitats embrace not only 

 the fresh-water lakes of the interior, but the whole circuit of 

 our coasts, wherever they are suitable to its economy. Such 

 are bays and other shores covered with a slimy deposite, the 

 mouths of rivers, &c., all of which produce abundantly the 

 particular sorts of vegetable food upon which this species Food, 

 subsists. Vast numbers of Wigeons are annually taken in 

 the decoys, the amount, in some of the southern counties (ac- 

 cording to MONTAGU), surpassing that of all the other wild 

 fowl taken collectively. In districts where the decoy has 

 not been introduced, they are obtained by the Punt and its 

 swivel-mounted duck-gun, or shot during the moonb'ght 

 nights by fowlers, who station themselves in places where the 

 birds are accustomed to feed, which they do after night-fall, 

 like most of the species in this subfamily, During the early 

 part of the winter their flesh is delicate and well-flavoured, 

 but after Christmas (I speak of those taken on the coast) it 

 becomes rather rank, which may be attributed to a failure of 

 the early vegetable food, and an increased consumption of the 

 stronger alga?, and perhaps of small molluscous animals. In 

 Northumberland, where they abound upon several parts of 

 the coast, they are sold for eighteen-pence the couple, being 

 half the price of the Mallard and Brent Goose. They usu- 

 ally make their first appearance in this county about the 

 20th day of September, in small companies, which are on the 

 gradual increase till about the beginning of November, when 

 the migration appears to be completed. Early in March 

 they again commence their polar movement, or return to 

 summer quarters, and by the month of April the coast is en- 

 tirely deserted. The northern countries of Europe, even to 

 very high latitudes, as well as those of Northern Asia, are 

 the native regions of these birds; and though TEMMINCK 

 mentions them as sometimes breeding in Holland, a parallel 

 as low as our own, I am not aware that they have ever been 

 ascertained to do so in Britain. At night, their time of ac-, 

 tivity, they fly in compact bodies, and are easily distinguish- 



