THE COMMON WILD DUCK 187 



from a decoy they can be depended on ; that is, 

 the ducks will pass over certain places with great 

 regularity. If they are going out there is the sea- 

 ward side of the sea-wall for you to crouch on, or 

 under, as the case may be ; sometimes with a keen 

 wind blowing that would make your teeth chatter, but 

 that had to be put up with. If spin-drift was about, 

 the salt particles got in your eyes, causing you to 

 shed bitter tears, all for the sake of the poor ducks. 

 If you were on the marsh side of the wall, waiting 

 for them to come in, and things looked prosperous, 

 very often they passed in out of range ; and some- 

 times, without any warning, a sea-fog would roll in 

 and pass over the marsh just before they rose from 

 the 'coy. That was the most tantalizing thing of 

 all ; for you could hear the rapid swit-swit-swit-swit- 

 swit of their wings cutting through the air like 

 knives, without being able to get on terms with 

 them. Then the fog would smother you up, making 

 you feel as if you had just escaped from a grave- 

 yard. No wonder "ager-mixter " was a vital 

 necessity to our shore-shooters ; at such times it 

 would be, " Come on, it's no use ; we'd better git 

 home," the men having had a three miles' tramp 

 down, and a bad three miles back, all for nothing. 

 When a gale drove them in from open water before 

 their time, the men got something ; for the fierce 

 wind kept the birds low. 



" Look out ! here they come, crackin' on all sail." 

 Then it was beautiful for about twenty minutes. 

 "Bang! "got him (thud!) all right; you can keep 



