WIGEON. NATATORES. MAREGCA. 325 
ed than any other species; for its habitats embrace not only 
the fresh-water lakes of the interior, but the whole circuit of 
our coasts, wherever they are suitable to its economy. Such 
are bays and other shores covered with a slimy deposite, the 
mouths of rivers, &c., all of which produce abundantly the 
particular sorts of vegetable food upon which this species 
subsists. Vast numbers of Wigeons are annually taken in 
the decoys, the amount, in some of the southern counties (ac- 
cording to Monracv), surpassing that of all the other wild 
fowl taken collectively. In districts where the decoy has 
not been introduced, they are obtained by the Punt and its 
swivel-mounted duck-gun, or shot during the moonlight 
nights by fowlers, who station themselves in places where the 
birds are accustomed to feed, which they do after night-fall, 
like most of the species in this subfamily. During the early 
part of the winter their flesh is delicate and well-flavoured, 
but after Christmas (I speak of those taken on the coast) it 
becomes rather rank, which may be attributed to a failure of 
the early vegetable food, and an increased consumption of the 
stronger algz, and perhaps of small molluscous animals. In 
Northumberland, where they abound upon several parts of 
the coast, they are sold for eighteen-pence the couple, being 
half the price of the Mallard and Brent Goose. They usu- 
ally make their first appearance in this county about the 
20th day of September, in small companies, which are on the 
gradual increase till about the beginning of November, when 
the migration appears to be completed. Early in March 
they again commence their polar movement, or return to 
summer quarters, and by the month of April the coast is en- 
tirely deserted. 'The northern countries of Europe, even to 
very high latitudes, as well as those of Northern Asia, are 
the native regions of these birds; and though Temminck 
mentions them as sometimes breeding in Holland, a parallel 
as low as our own, I am not aware that they have ever been 
ascertained,to do so in Britain. At night, their time of ac- 
tivity, they fly in compact bodies, and are easily distinguish- 
Food. 
