2O THE BOOK OF MIGRATORY BIRDS 



practice in China to tame and use this bird for taking fish. 

 A ring is fastened round the lower part of its neck, to 

 prevent it swallowing the fish it catches, and thus its owner 

 increases his revenue by its exertions. At one time an 

 ingenious islander adopted the same plan, and was equally 

 successful. The two latter species (Eider and Shell-duck) 

 make their nesting haunts on Holy Island, and whilst the 

 former also breeds on the Fames the latter prefers the 

 mainland opposite these islands for incubation. Very 

 rarely do either succeed in hatching their eggs on Holy 

 Island, because of the rascally gulls, who are ever on the 

 alert to steal the eggs, should the mother birds leave the 

 nests uncovered for any time. 



Oyster-catchers or Sea-pies are numerous, and so are 

 Godwits or Speeths. 



The great attraction which this island holds out to 

 sportsmen is centred in the dense numbers of Wigeon, 

 Mallard, Curlew, Teal, Plover (green, grey, and golden), 

 Pink-footed and Brent Geese. It is no exaggeration to 

 say that they arrive in clouds, and can be observed 

 thousands strong in the air, and also on the mud-flats, 

 feeding on the wigeon grass, or " Zostera Marina." 

 These sportsmen have usually a lively time of it, bringing 

 to shore from twenty to eighty per day. The writer 

 inspected the victims of two shots by the swivel punt gun 

 in December, 1908, when he counted eighty birds, chiefly 

 wigeon and mallard, with a sprinkling of teal. 



During one week in the previous month (November) the 

 sum total brought in by punts and shore gunners reached 

 two hundred and thirty-five birds. 



The brent this year have been exceedingly wary, and 

 only some thirty of this kind have been brought down, 

 though they have been as numerous as ever. 



This island has been called the "birds' sanctuary," and 

 judging by the numbers on the stakes at ebb and half-flood 

 tides, it is patent that the place is a great attraction for the 

 winged tribe, though whether judging by the slaughter 



