262 THE WILD-FOWLER. 



are the hardest birds to kill and capture of any of the species. The 

 oldest sportsmen are often astonished at the hard hitting they require 

 before falling to their shot ; and when fallen, wounded, Jt is often im- 

 possible to recover them. I have fired the stanchion-gun at large 

 flights of these birds, scattering one-and-a-half-pound of shot amongst 

 them ; and though within fair range, have seldom seen more than 

 ten or a dozen fall to the charge, and have never been able to recover 

 more than four or five of those which actually fell directly beneath 

 the shot. Colonel Hawker may well remark, that he never saw such 

 creatures " to swim, dive, and carry off shot." And the Colonel 

 adds, " They take as hard a blow as a swan ; and will even swim for 

 a short time after being shot in the head." 



They are met with in large numbers on the coast in winter ; and 

 are often mistaken at a distance for a more desirable class of wild- 

 fowl. 



The flesh of the scoter is not palatable. They have a thick coating 

 of feathers and down, which seem to render them almost invulnera- 

 ble to the effects of gun-shot. 



