Golden-Eye 89 
till they get to the above-named lands, or press inland in a still more southerly direction to our own 
country and on still further. They leave our stagnant pieces of water then as soon as ice closes the 
water to them ; they then go either to the larger stretches of flowing water or travel still further 
south-west. In less severe winters many remain, too, on our rivers and other pieces of open water, 
and a few isolated birds at all these places attempt, even in the most severe winter, to prolong their 
life on the few places which remain free from ice on rivers, streams, and even springs. It is 
extraordinary how such isolated specimens, almost always old males, know how to discover such places 
within a certain range (approximately a square mile and more) ; they are clever enough only to visit 
open places lying near the dwellings of men for the first time late at night or in the evening. In spring, 
at the first real thaw, the Fuligula clangula which have wandered further afield return to our large pieces 
of standing water, in order to dally here before completely taking their departure for their more northern 
home, and to be able to await a more settled condition of spring weather, and according as this 
happens earlier or later — now in March, now in April — they forsake our country, steering their course 
in a north-easterly direction, except for the few which have apparently meditated choosing to breed 
in our land. They fly away generally at night, often in large flocks, and they are recognisable from all 
others, even in the greatest darkness, by the extraordinary ringing sound of their flight, by which, too, 
the direction of their flight can be observed." 
Broadly speaking the Golden-Eye has a greater love for the sea than for the fresh- 
water lakes. If we wish to study the bird either from the point of view of the sportsman 
or the naturalist we must go to some sea estuaries where mussels, cockles, and crustacese 
abound and are found within easy diving reach of the surface of the water. In most 
of our northern firths Golden-Eye are numerous but hard to observe, owing to their 
shyness and the difificulty of finding cover to conceal the observer, or the ''banks" where 
they feed at low water are too far out from the shore and situated in places dangerous to 
man. When they do approach cover, as they do in Campbeltown Bay in the Moray Firth, 
it is pleasant to lie amongst the sea grass and watch the birds working along the coast 
in the pursuit of food. Easy, too, it is to shoot them in such places, for these ducks, 
with all their acuteness of vision, nervous restlessness, and high-flying habits, are singularly 
dull in leaving no sentries above water when they dive. If you wish to shoot Golden-Eye 
in such a spot as Campbeltown Bay, it is only necessary to spy them before they see you. 
Then a sharp run, under cover of the sandhills, brings you opposite their position. The 
next manoeuvre is to watch the exact length of the dive the birds are making parallel to the 
coast, and, as soon as all are under water, to make a rush to the sea edge (about 80 to 100 
yards away) to the point where you expect them to come up. If your calculations are 
correct it is your own fault if you do not secure a brace, as the birds will rise to the surface 
and immediately fliy at 30 yards. 
At high tide and when not on feed Golden-Eyes are either resting on the open 
sea, in the centre of an estuary, or flying to and fro. On the whole, I think they fly about 
more than any of the sea-ducks. Perhaps one notices them more than other species, owing 
to the singing noise of their wings as they rise or pass by, but they always seemed to 
me the most restless of all sea-ducks except perhaps the Long-tail in spring. They are 
not fond of associating with other species, but may often be seen feeding on the edge 
of large packs of Wigeon and other ducks and in places where shooting goes on, never 
failing to rise noisily at a distance of 100 to 300 yards, to give their less observant friends 
warning of the approaching danger. The nose of a punt, even if covered with seaweed and 
propelled by hidden hands ever so slowly, is nearly always detected by the sharp-eved 
VOL. I. 
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