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  ORNITHOLOGICAL 
  NOTES 
  FROM 
  KILLALA 
  BAY 
  

   AND 
  THE 
  MOY 
  ESTUARY. 
  

  

  By 
  Robert 
  Warren. 
  

  

  Notwithstanding 
  the 
  very 
  rnild 
  and 
  wet 
  but 
  stormy 
  winter 
  

   of 
  1903-4, 
  the 
  Wigeon 
  appeared 
  in 
  quite 
  as 
  large 
  numbers 
  as 
  in 
  

   our 
  most 
  severe 
  seasons, 
  such 
  as 
  1878-9 
  and 
  1880-81, 
  flocks 
  of 
  

   five 
  and 
  six 
  hundred 
  birds 
  being 
  observed 
  where 
  one 
  hundred 
  

   and 
  fifty 
  to 
  two 
  hundred 
  would 
  be 
  met 
  with 
  in 
  ordinary 
  years. 
  

   Owing 
  to 
  the 
  almost 
  continuous 
  stormy 
  weather, 
  very 
  few 
  were 
  

   obtained 
  by 
  punt 
  -shooters, 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  estuary 
  being 
  far 
  

   too 
  rough 
  throughout 
  the 
  season 
  for 
  successful 
  punt-gun 
  shoot- 
  

   ing 
  ; 
  and 
  another 
  cause 
  that 
  helped 
  to 
  protect 
  the 
  Wigeon 
  from 
  

   their 
  enemies 
  on 
  the 
  water 
  was 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  of 
  late 
  years 
  they 
  

   have 
  changed 
  their 
  haunts 
  by 
  day, 
  and 
  instead 
  of, 
  as 
  formerly, 
  

   resting 
  on 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  the 
  channels 
  in 
  various 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  

   estuary, 
  they 
  now 
  all 
  assemble, 
  along 
  with 
  Pintails, 
  in 
  one 
  great 
  

   company, 
  on 
  the 
  sands 
  outside 
  the 
  Island 
  of 
  Bartragh, 
  resting 
  

   just 
  inside 
  the 
  breakers 
  of 
  the 
  bar, 
  where 
  neither 
  boat 
  nor 
  punt 
  

   can 
  approach 
  them. 
  Nothing 
  can 
  be 
  more 
  tantalizing 
  to 
  the 
  

   shooter 
  than 
  to 
  see 
  those 
  dense 
  masses 
  of 
  fowl 
  resting 
  and 
  

   sleeping, 
  quite 
  free 
  from 
  disturbance, 
  within 
  a 
  few 
  hundred 
  

   yards, 
  but 
  perfectly 
  unapproachable. 
  Then 
  at 
  night 
  they 
  

   scatter 
  about 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  the 
  estuary 
  to 
  feed, 
  but 
  there 
  is 
  

   scarcely 
  any 
  night 
  shooting 
  by 
  moonlight, 
  because 
  the 
  small 
  

   extent 
  of 
  Zostera 
  bank 
  lying 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  land 
  is 
  quite 
  shaded 
  by 
  

   the 
  shadows 
  thrown 
  by 
  the 
  surrounding 
  high 
  land. 
  

  

  The 
  Wigeon 
  are 
  well 
  able 
  to 
  take 
  care 
  of 
  themselves 
  and 
  

   avoid 
  the 
  shooters, 
  and 
  I 
  quite 
  agree 
  with 
  what 
  Mr. 
  Abel 
  Chap- 
  

   man 
  says 
  of 
  the 
  Wigeon 
  in 
  his 
  ' 
  Bird-life 
  on 
  the 
  Border,' 
  p. 
  183, 
  

   where 
  he 
  estimates 
  that 
  only 
  from 
  ten 
  to 
  fifteen 
  per 
  cent, 
  of 
  

   the 
  great 
  number 
  that 
  visit 
  his 
  district 
  are 
  obtained 
  by 
  shooters 
  ; 
  

   while 
  here 
  I 
  can 
  safely 
  say 
  that 
  in 
  this 
  estuary 
  half 
  his 
  estimate 
  

   would 
  be 
  nearer 
  the 
  number 
  ; 
  so 
  there 
  is 
  little 
  fear 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  