102 
ANATIM. 
left, like grallatorial birds, to regale upon tbe banks. Here they 
remained until the advancing sea raised them on its surface, and 
then continued to feed so long as the water was shallow enough 
for the purpose. When it deepened too much, they floated on 
its bosom, and resigned themselves to rest or sleep, “ high 
water” being the time of their repose. On the short grass of 
some of the islets off Islay, they were remarked by a friend to 
graze by day. 
It has been particularly noticed by Mr. Darragh and others, 
that the weaker and stronger birds keep each together in flocks 
during the entire season. They may even, suiting their strength 
of flight individually to each other, have divided into flocks 
before starting on migration. The weaker consist of both sexes, 
of all ages, but of fewer adult males than the stronger flocks. 
Any number, up to four or five hundred, of either kind, will be 
found together. Every individual shot from the weaker party 
is smaller and lighter, as every one killed from the stronger flock 
is of a larger and heavier kind. The weak and the strong resort 
to different feeding-grounds in Larne, Belfast, and Strangford 
loughs ; the former keeping nearer the shore, and coming farther 
up the loughs, than the stronger birds. Some shooters in the 
two latter localities term the smaller birds fresli-water wig eon, 
from an idea that they feed chiefly inland, and only occasionally 
visit the sea. It cannot, however, be owing to this cause that 
they are inferior, as the scaup duck, which is given as much as 
the wigeon to division into strong and weak flocks, dwells upon 
the sea, very rarely, indeed, visiting fresh-water here. 
Wigeon frequent Belfast Bay in such numbers that two or 
three persons have always earned their livelihood in the season 
by shooting them, brent-geese, and wild-fowl generally, as several 
other persons have partially done. An account of the manner 
in which wigeon were formerly shot here, or until within the last 
twenty years — when the few owners of swivel-guns have had the 
sport nearly all to themselves — may perhaps be interesting. 
Barrels, large enough to contain the shooter and his dog, were 
sunk in the ooze, until their top was about two inches above its 
