THE WIGEON. 179 



I am satisfied in my own mind, that the wigeon 

 does not stay here to breed. All my endeavours to 

 find its nest have hitherto been ineffectual ; nor can 

 I recollect to have met with one well authenticated 

 account of the wigeon's eggs having ever been found 

 in England. 



Formerly, I used to consider the wigeon as one 

 of those migratory birds of which little could ever 

 be known, as it merely came here to spend the 

 winter months amongst us, in order to avoid the 

 dismal tempests which were raging in its own native 

 land. Under this erroneous impression, I always 

 availed myself of every opportunity to get a shot at 

 the wigeons. Of course, this made them exceed- 

 ingly shy and wary ; for persecution soon shows to 

 birds the danger of placing themselves within the 

 reach of man. Hence their visits here were few 

 and transitory ; and sometimes weeks elapsed with- 

 out my seeing a single wigeon on the water. 



Since I have shut the temple of Janus, and pro- 

 claimed undisturbed repose to those of the feathered 

 race which come to seek for shelter here, the 

 wigeons are in great abundance ; and, from the time 

 of their arrival to the period of their departure, they 

 may be found here every day, whether in a frosty, 

 a snowy, or an open season. A stranger, on observ- 

 ing them, would hardly suppose that they are wild 

 fowl ; for he will often see nearly one hundred of 

 them congregating with the tame ducks, not sixty 

 yards from the kitchen windows. Protection has 

 restored to them their innate familiarity ; and now 



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