The Wigeon. ^35 



1 714 and 1726, 44,677 Wigeon were taken in tlie following monthly proportions: 

 August 1,085; September 15,897; October 18,671; November 7,655; December 

 1,085 ; January 275 ; February 9. This proves that one hundred and fifty years 

 since, the great takes of Wigeon were made in the early autumn months, not as 

 at present, in January, February and March, that is on the return migration from 

 the south. 



Some of the best days in the Canney marsh decoy were :-^September 20th, 

 1 714 — I Duck, 20 Teal, 785 Wigeon; September 23rd, 1715 — 7 Teal, i Pintail, 

 478 Wigeon; October 7th, 1715 — 6 Teal, 4 Pintail, 512 Wigeon; October 14th, 

 1 715 — 2 Teal, I Duck, 490 Wigeon; October i8th — i Teal, i Duck, i Pintail, 

 537 Wigeon; August 23rd, 1716 — 3 Teal, 548 Wigeon; September i6th, 1717 — 

 702 Wigeon, and 348 on previous day. The two best months were : — September, 

 1714 — 39 Duck, 81 Teal, 9 Pintail, 3907 Wigeon; September, 1717 — 12 Duck, 8 

 Teal, I Pintail, 3440 Wigeon. The best year was 1714 — 675 Duck, 347 Teal, 46 

 Pintail, 6296 Wigeon. The total of thirteen years was: — 4576 Duck, 1396 Teal, 

 138 Pintail, and 44,677 Wigeon — total 50,787. 



A large proportion of the Wigeon which visit the Humber in winter are 

 males. Mr. Boulton, of Beverley, (" Zoologist," 1865, p. 9528), remarks : — " The 

 Wigeon shot on the Hull river are usually male birds, either old or young, a real 

 mature female is quite a rara avis." Mr. St. John, writing of Loch Spynie and 

 the wild-fowl shooting on it, says : — " there seems to be an immense proportion 

 of drakes amongst the Wigeon." On the other hand the late Dr. Saxby, writing 

 of Shetland, says : — " adult males are always very scarce." 



Wigeon are early migrants, and are paired by the middle of February. I 

 have met with flocks late in January all males, and by the middle of the 

 next month each drake swam in company with a duck ; by the middle of 

 March they have left the Humber, and I have once seen them as late as 

 April I St. 



The late Colonel Russell, of Stubbers, told me fin littj that in 1880, on 

 February 15th, thousands of Wigeon arrived on the Essex coast on their spring 

 migration. These were all " yellow-bellied," that is, stained with rufous on the 

 under parts, which he considered the result of peat-stained water. 



Those who are interested in the subject of punt-shooting should consult 

 " The Fowler in Ireland," by Sir R. Payne-Gallwey ; also " Bird- Life on the 

 Borders," by Mr. Abel Chapman, both writers having done their best to popularize 

 this branch of sport. In Ireland, Wigeon greatly predominate in the fowler's 

 return; out of fifteen hundred wild- fowl killed by the first named author, in 

 1880-1, twelve hundred were Wigeon. The best time to approach Wigeon with 



