WILD FOWL SHOOTING. 379 



induce to enter the water : the young bitch, however, after 

 looking at the bird very attentively, which was not quite dead, 

 but fluttered occasionally, to my surprise, took the water with- 

 out the least solicitation, and brought me the bird as carefully 

 as possible ; and ever since then she has fetched a bird or a duck 

 out of the water without hesitation, and will swim across water 

 when she supposes an object is to be attained ; but she invari- 

 ably turns away with contempt if a stick or a stone be thrown in 

 with a view to induce her to fetch it. 



The latter end of August is, perhaps, the best time for this 

 diversion, as the young ones are then able to fly tolerably well, 

 without, however, being capable of sustaining those long flights 

 which carry them away from the sportsman completely : when 

 the young ducks become very strong on the wing they are not 

 easy to be approached, and are ever afterwards found the most 

 suspicious animals in nature. These birds are fond of those 

 situations where the margin of the water is deeply fringed with 

 sedges and aquatic plants, and where, on the least alarm, they 

 secret themselves from human observation. In beating for the 

 game, as little noise as possible should be made, whilst the dog 

 should never be allowed to go out of gun shot, unless, from par- 

 ticular circumstances, a greater extent be rendered indispensable. 

 A sceptic might be induced to ask why the flavour of a wild duck 

 is superior to that of a domestic duck? this fact arises, I appre- 

 hend, from their unlimited freedom. The same remark equally 

 applies to the partridge, compared to the domestic fowl, and 

 indeed to every animal in a state of nature, compared to the same 

 or a similar kind reduced to obedience by man. It was formerly 

 customary to have, in the fenny parts of the kingdom, particu- 

 larly in Lincolnshire, an annual driving of the young ducks 

 before they were able to fly; For this purpose numbers of 

 people assembled, who beat over a great extent of water, and 

 forced the birds into a net placed at the spot where the sport 



