SEA-FOWL SHOOTING IN THE FIRTH OF FORTH. 137 



the Sound of Mull, I have counted, even in autumn, red and 

 green shanks, turn-stones, knots, dunlins, sanderlings, curlews, 

 oyster- catchers, herons, and the common sandpiper. 



Although in open weather the fishing diver fares much 

 better inland than the wader, still the supply of small fish is 

 vastly inferior to the sea. The majority of these divers, 

 therefore, keep to the market where the supply is best, and 

 only some stray ones of certain species find their way to fresh 

 water. The more common edible ducks are as fond of the 

 green food of fresh lochs as they are of salt-water feeding, 

 and some species of diving dabblers even prefer it. These 

 last, being seldom out of condition, and excellent food, are 

 much sought after by all wild-fowl sportsmen. 



The staple supply of the inland lochs, such as dun-birds, 

 tufted ducks, golden-eyes, teal, widgeon, and the common 

 wild-duck, is to be found in still greater abundance on the 

 salt water. Perhaps the most lacuscular is the tuft. Al- 

 though hard weather regularly sends a good many female 

 scaups to Lochs Lomond and Vennachar, the males seldom 

 accompany them. I never knew a male scaup killed on 

 either loch except one, and that was a bird of the year, in 

 immature plumage. The old males, however, sometimes fre- 

 quent fresh water close to the sea. I shot for my collection 

 an old drake, in the finest plumage, on Duddingston Loch, 

 near Edinburgh. This is curious, female scaups being so 

 tame in fresh water as to be more easily stalked than most 

 wild-fowl. Why, then, are their mates so shy of trusting 

 themselves away from the sea ? 



The purely oceanic ducks, although flat-billed, are never 

 good for the table, but most of them are beautiful creatures 

 to stuff for a museum. As they can't rise except against the 

 wind, when shooting them under canvas you must always 

 beat to windward ; they are thus forced to cross the bow or 

 stern of your craft, and give a side shot. So intercepted, they 

 are less willing to take wing out of reach. 



