Wild Ducks and Duck Decoying. 201 



feed. The widgeon is an exception to most of 

 the wild ducks, as it feeds more by day than by 

 night, and, like geese, it is particularly fond of 

 nibbling the short grass on the saltings. It has 

 a wild whistle which resembles the syllable 

 " whew" by which name the bird is known on 

 many parts of the coast. Sometimes during a 

 lull in a spell of rough weather vast flocks con- 

 centrate themselves on the ooze, and it is at this 

 time they are sought by the puntsman or fowler. 

 When good shots have been obtained at such 

 masses of birds over a hundred Have been killed 

 at a single shot, and this explains why widgeon 

 are sold so cheaply in the markets. When 

 winter breaks up the flocks retire northward, 

 only a few remaining to breed on the northern 

 parts of Britain. The widgeon is not known to 

 have nested in England. 



The shoveller is another handsomely-plumaged 

 duck, and has its name from its shovel-shaped 

 bill, by which characteristic it may be known at 

 a glance. It is a winter visitant to our shores, 

 though not in any great numbers, and breeds 

 not unfrequently in several of the south-eastern 

 counties as well as more sparingly in the north. 

 It rarely frequents the sea, being fond of fresh 

 water, and is remarkable in the fact that it does 

 not reach down like other ducks to procure its 

 food ; it rather filters the water through its bill, 

 retaining the solid animal matter, and allowing 



