DEER-SHOOTING AND OTHER MATTERS. 103 



during the day, feeling quite secure from harm ; but if 

 met with outside the city on the fields how different 

 they appear ! Such may the wildest and most timid 

 bird become by kind treatment and protection. It was 

 always a matter of fact, that whatever new ground I 

 visited where Europeans and guns had never been, the 

 duck and geese knew at once I was not a Japanese, and 

 therefore not to be trusted. I used to carry a native 

 loose jacket and white head-tie, and on seeing a flock of 

 geese feeding in the open rice stubble, would slip these 

 two articles on over my shooting-jacket and cap ; a 

 little straw stuck on the end of my gun completed my 

 disguise. In this way, and imitating the short, shuffling 

 walk of the Japanese, I used to walk straight up to 

 geese whilst feeding, and often have a right and left 

 at very easy range. 



The arctic goose used to be very common during the 

 winter in the southern big plains, and two kinds of 

 the white-fronted, grey-lag, bean, and Shanghai species 

 are so still. There is a greater variety of ducks 

 than any other genus. The most lovely in plumage, 

 and without exception the best-flavo\ired, is the man- 

 darin duck. This bird is particularly fond of the 

 acorn of the ilex, and is often found far up the hill- 

 sides feeding under this shrub. It appears quite as 



