VARIETIES OF WILDFOWL. 79 



of some inland water, or often at a considerable distance 

 from it. A double hedgerow is a favourite place for their 

 nidification, and instances are recorded of a pollard tree 

 having been chosen for the purpose. The duck lays about 

 fifteen or eighteen eggs, which are of a greenish white colour, 

 two inches and a quarter long, by one inch seven lines broad. 

 The young ducks take the water soon after they are hatched, 

 but they are at least two months old before they can fly. At 

 this time they are called " flappers," and are shot, on account 

 of their delicacy, for the purposes of the table. They are 

 generally to be found on the brooks and rivers frequented by 

 them about the latter part of July, varying from the 15th to 

 the 31st, according to the season. Besides the wild ducks 

 bred in Great Britain, great numbers migrate to our rivers 

 and coasts in the winter season. 



WIDGEON (Mareca Penelope) come next to the wild 

 duck in size and importance to the sportsman. They very 

 rarely breed here, but migrate to us from the north of 

 Europe in large flocks, which begin to come over in the end 

 of September and beginning of October, and leave us in 

 March and April. They resemble the wild duck in most of 

 their habits, and like it are monogamous. A whistling noise 

 is made by them which may be heard for some distance, 

 and marks their presence to those who have once heard it. 

 The inland waters of this country are seldom frequented by 

 this bird, which is found in large flocks on the coast, where 

 it forms one of the chief objects of search by the puntsman. 

 In the adult male the bill is brownish black, tinged with 

 lead colour ; iris dark brown ; a green streak passes back- 

 wards from the eye ; forehead and top of the head a creamy 

 white ; cheeks and back of the neck a rich chesnut ; upper 

 parts greyish white, crossed with irregular lines of black ; 

 upper tail coverts freckled with grey ; tail pointed and nearly 

 black ; wing coverts white, tipped with black ; primaries 

 uniformly of a dark brown ; secondaries the same, but their 

 outer webs form a green speculum tipped with black ; 

 tertials have their outer webs edged with white ; chin and 

 throat black ; lower part of the neck pale reddish brown ; 

 sides and flanks marked with transverse lines of brown on a 

 white ground ; breast, belly, and vent white ; under tail 



