WILDFOWLING IN THE WILDERNESS. 375 



nut breasts divided by a band of snow-white purit}'. 

 Besides these there were the Mallard and Teal, and others 

 to which we will refer presently. 



It was during flight-shooting in the early mornings that 

 the greatest variety of wildfowl was observed, the numbers 

 of Shovelers being especially conspicuous. One morning 

 we particularly remember ; we had ridden nearly all night 

 to reach a certain favourite spot before daybreak. Even 

 the pateros were still asleep when, at 2 a.m., we rode up to 

 their solitary clioza on the verge of the marsh. However, 

 we were soon in our allotted positions, each on board a tiny 

 Janrlia, or flat-bottomed punt, far out in the marisma. 

 Towards the dawn a very great number of ducks were on 

 the wing — Mallards, Pintails, Teal, and Wigeon, while from 

 an opposite direction the Shovelers streamed overhead for 

 a couple of hours. These handsome paletones took my fancy, 

 and drew the bulk of my cartridges ; but whether they 

 were too high, or the powder, in Spanish phrase, too 

 "cold," the results were certainly not commensurate. 

 In any case it is no easy matter to take fast and high 

 shots when balancing oneself in a cranky punt. A valid 

 excuse was the unusual amount of water. This disadvantage 

 is felt, in wet winters, at every turn ; here, in flighting, in 

 the entire absence of covert in which to conceal our punts. 

 Hardly even the tops of the rushes, tamarisk and other 

 bog-plants protruded above the surface. Consequently the 

 high-sided punts loomed far too conspicuous, even in the 

 half-light, causing the fowl to " sky " or to swerve to right 

 or left. Again by reason of the punts being fully afloat 

 (instead of lying on the mud) a difficulty was added to the 

 taking of quick shots, for on any sudden movement of its 

 occupant, the tiny craft lurched almost to the capsizing 

 point. In spite of all this, the double flashes from the 

 adjoining lancha were generally succeeded by one, and often 

 by two, answering splashes in the dark water. 



Pochards and a few Tufted ducks are almost the only 

 members of the diver-tril)e that we have met with in the 

 marisma during wet winters, though, by February, some 

 of the Ferruginous ducks {FulUjula nywca) are beginning to 



