THE WIGEON. 101 



have all seen the species feeding by da}', but consider that it is 

 more than doubly busied by night. Often, in fine weather, flocks 

 will float idly about during the day where food is abundant ; but 

 during the night, all is activity with them. They become rest- 

 less so soon as the shades of evening begin to appear, equally on 

 the inland lakes, where they remained undisturbed all day, as on 

 the marine bay, where persecution was their lot. Under all 

 circumstances, they then leave their day-haunt on flight to their 

 night feeding-ground. The more frequent whistle of the male 

 bird, and — as it were — answering, purring cry of the female by 

 night, evince that the birds are then most actively alive. The 

 fowlers often remark at such times : — " Hear them answering each 

 other ;" and judge, from the whistle being unreplied to, or its 

 being frequently uttered and answered, whether there be few or 

 many birds together. Some of these observations have been made 

 in consequence of Mr. Waterton's statement, in his essay on the 

 wigeon, that a number of these birds remain during the night on 

 the lake at Walton Hall, in consequence, as he considers, of their 

 feeding on grass during the day. His observations are, doubtless, 

 critically correct as to liis own locality ; but, owing to the protec- 

 tion afl^orded tliere^ we may fairly regard his wigeon as in a semi- 

 domesticated state. Under similar circumstances, I have frequently 

 seen wigeon grazing like geese by day. The bird wisely accom- 

 modates itself to circumstances.^ It is very interesting to observe 

 it feeding where no enemy is feared. The last place of this kind, 

 in which wigeon came under my notice, was in retired and most 

 picturesque little bays in the island of Islay, where no human 

 eye but my own was upon them at the time. Being afloat, they 

 would commence their repast when the tide had sufficiently fallen 

 to admit of their reaching the Zostera, and at low water they were 



* Mr. St. John, in his 'Tour in Sutherland' (vol. ii. p. 21), remarks .- — "Unlike 

 the mallard and the teal, both which are night-feeding birds, the wigeon feeds at any 

 hour of the day or night indiscriminately." In Belfast Bay, both the mallard and 

 teal have been observed by the three most intelligent wild-fowl shooters (who were 

 questioned on the subject) to feed by day at all times that they are there during the 

 season. The latter end of February and lieginning of March — e.vccpt diuiiig frost — 

 is the period when they are chiefly in the bay by day. They are now all paired, 

 though sometimes in large flocks. 



