ON FOWLERS AND WILD-FOWLING. 165 



not distinguish between closely allied species over a 

 certain distance. There is a vast difference, com- 

 paratively speaking, between a curlew and a plover, 

 when these birds are standing up ; but when the birds 

 have squatted on the hard dry slub, heads to wind- 

 ward, making the best of it until feeding-time comes, 

 it is almost impossible, unless some fortunate acci- 

 dent allows you to get very near, to tell the differ- 

 ence between them. It is hard also to distinguish 

 between sanderlings and dunlins in their winter 

 plumage, as they run about mixed up, even if you 

 are very close up to them, as I have been at times. 

 On their first arrival on our coast they are not shy, 

 if left alone and not harried. 



Wild-fowl proper, the mallard, widgeon, pochard 

 the dun bird or red-headed pochard the long- 

 tailed duck or sea-pheasant, with the two species 

 of teal, constitute the fowler's ducks, as they are 

 called ; that is, the eating ducks. Almost all the 

 waders woodcock, snipe, and plovers excepted 

 are odd trifles for the bird -preserver. The loons 

 or sprat divers, grebes, gulls, and the diving- 

 ducks, scaups, and scoters, also find their way to 

 him. These are fancy ducks, some of them pro- 



