WILDFOWLING IN THE ESTUARY OF THE MOY. 11 



that I was unable to find them, and had to content myself with 

 only four birds as the produce of my shot. Having loaded, and 

 feeling very much disgusted at my poor luck, I landed at Bartragh 

 to wait for the turn of the tide to return. While thus waiting, 

 I observed that a large company of Wigeon had come in from the 

 bay, and were swimming into the bank before the " Big Bock," 

 so, dressing the punt with wrack, I paddled down to them, easily 

 getting within shot of about a dozen that were feeding along the 

 shore, but unfortunately there was a short sea knocked up by the 

 flood-tide, which caused the punt to be so unsteady that I fired 

 over them as she was raised by a sea just as I pulled the trigger, 

 and the consequence was that I only got a brace of Wigeon. 



Thus unsuccessful with the Wigeon, I returned up channel 

 with the flood-tide, intending to try my luck with the Plover when 

 the rising tide would crowd them upon the bank, and float the 

 punt within shot. On reaching the bank where the Plover were, 

 I found that they were far out of shot on the highest part of the 

 bank, while a large number of Lapwings were resting along the 

 edge of it, some standing in the water, but all too scattered to be 

 worth firing at ; and for half-an-hour I waited, paddling nearly 

 all round the bank, trying from various positions to find the 

 Lapwings well placed for a shot. Several times I was on the 

 point of firing, but waited in the hope of their crowding nearer 

 together ; at the same time the Golden Plover were very rest- 

 less, frequently shifting their ground, but still never crossing 

 near the edge of the bank, and in the end, long before the bank 

 was covered, they and the Lapwings left the sands for the fields, 

 without my obtaining a shot, although I had waited so long. 



On the 30th I went out again, my destination being the 

 Moyne channel and Killala pool, and as that part of the Estuary 

 was seldom disturbed, I expected to get some shots if the birds 

 were there. On my way down the channel to Bartragh I observed 

 the large stand of Golden Plover and a very large number of 

 Lapwings flying about, waiting for the banks to uncover, and also 

 several bunches of Wigeon, but none within shot ; so in order to 

 save the tide for crossing the flats between Bartragh and Moyne, 

 1 hurried on, not waiting to try for the Wigeon. In the upper 

 part of the Moyne channel I saw a dozen of Wigeon (but did not 

 get a shot, for they were too scattered), and an immense flock of 

 Curlew and Godwits; and further down the channel opposite the 



