182 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
by the rising tide, offer no chance of a heavy shot; thirty-four 
is the largest number I have secured at one shot. This season I 
was unable to take out my punt before the 29th of October, thus 
losing six weeks of the best of the Lapwing shooting. However, 
on that day I had very fair sport, bagging seventy-six Lapwings 
and one Curlew; but unfortunately, through losing my best 
chance by a miss-fire, I lost the opportunity of making up my bag 
to one hundred birds. 
On the 4th December, near the Island of Baunros, I got 
a shot at some Wild Ducks, and picked up four Mallards and a 
Shoveller Duck; and the following morning, near Roserk Abbey, 
I saw a little flock of seven or eight Shovellers. Wild Ducks 
and Widgeon appeared in their usual numbers; but amongst the 
latter I never remember to have shot so many thin and under- 
sized birds, many immature females being scarcely larger than 
Teal, and numbers of immature birds of both sexes appearing 
stunted and dwarfed, as if hatched very late, and half-starved for 
want of food when young. 
I had some good days’ punt-shooting in November and 
December, my best day’s bag being twenty-three Widgeon and 
four Ducks, of which I got nineteen Widgeon at a shot, and 
several cripples, escaping into rough water, got away. However, 
in point of numbers my best day’s shooting was on the 22nd 
January, when I bagged thirty Godwits, twelve Teal, four Oyster- 
catchers, two Ducks, and one Widgeon. The Oystercatchers fell 
amongst the Godwits, for I should never think of shooting such 
useless birds except for specimens. A few Scaup Ducks were to 
be met with in various parts of the estuary throughout the season, 
and I secured two very fine adult males in splendid plumage. 
Wild Swans visited us in large numbers this winter, but were 
generally observed in small flocks coming from a_ northerly 
direction, and all steering right on for Loughs Conn and Cullen. 
On several days, when out in my punt, I saw flocks of Swans 
passing from the north, but more pitched in the river or estuary. 
On one day twenty-seven passed within about one hundred 
yards of my punt, and so close that I could see the yellow of 
their bills quite distinctly ; and just as they were passing the sun 
shone out from behind a cloud, causing their snow-white plumage 
to look almost dazzling. Most of these passing flocks seem to 
haye assembled in one great herd on Lough Cullen. My friend 
