WILD DUCKS AND DUCK DECOYING 149 



a wall of net and thrown helpless into a deep ditch 

 dug at its foot for their reception." 



Most of the marine ducks are unfit for the table, 

 the pochard and tufted ducks being exceptions 

 probably from the fact of their often resorting to fresh 

 water. Akin to the last is the red-crested pochard 

 or whistling duck a rare British visitant, closely re- 

 sembling its congener, but having a long silky crest 

 on the head, and rich black neck, breast and abdomen. 

 The visits of this beautiful bird are very rare. 



The scaup is another sea-duck which makes its 

 appearance in autumn in large numbers, resorting 

 to low oozy coasts, where it finds its food. This 

 consists principally of shell-fish, especially mussels; 

 hence it is sometimes called " mussel-duck." It is 

 an expert diver, and a flock of hundreds of scaup may 

 sometimes be seen to immerse themselves at the 

 same moment. Like the division to which it 

 belongs, the scaup is a heavy thick-set duck, and 

 among the least eatable of its kind; yet hundreds 

 are taken by the fishermen in their nets. Another 

 of the winter ducks is the golden-eye, the mature 

 male of which is among the handsomest and wariest 

 of its kind. The golden-eye reaches our shores about 

 the end of October, the great majority being birds 

 of the year, with only a few matured males among 

 them. Their extreme wariness makes it almost 

 impossible to approach a flock, and when on sheets 



