330 WILDFOWL SHOOTING, 



thirdly, not to be too eager in getting his dead birds ; 

 as it sometimes happens, in hard weather, that the re- 

 mainder of the flock will again pitch down among them ; 

 particularly if he has winged some of the younger birds, 

 which have not the cunning to make off for a creek, 

 like the old ones. In this case, a reserved gun would, 

 probably, more than double the produce of his first shot. 

 It should be understood, that this night shooting is 

 chiefly at the wigeon, as the geese, of late years (since 

 there have been so many shooters), have seldom ventured 

 much in harbour by night ; except sometimes at high 

 spring tides, with a full moon ; and the greater part of 

 the ducks, teal, dunbirds, and such like, repair inland 

 to the ponds and fresh springs, unless driven to the salt 

 " feeding ground" by severe frost. 



A company of wigeon, when first collecting, may be 

 heard at an immense distance, by the whistling of the 

 cocks and purring noise of the hens ; but when they 

 are quietly settled, and busy at feed, you sometimes can 

 only hear the motion of their bills, which is similar to 

 that of tame ducks. 



Wigeon are never so readily disturbed by hearing 

 a noise as by smelling or seeing: in both of which they 

 are very quick ; though, in the latter, less so than many 

 other birds. Sea pheasants and teal are sometimes 

 with them. 



On the Dorsetshire coast, the shooters' terms for a 

 large flock of wigeon are a company ; for about thirty 

 or forty, a bunch or trip of birds ; and, for about ten or 

 twelve, a little knob : a string or skein of geese, and 

 other such provincial appellations. They also call a 

 creek a lake; and the smaller creeks, or drains, latches. 



