304 
FRANK FORESTER’S FTELD SPORTS. 
diately direct his glass to the very margin of the loch, to see if 
anything is moving there; should he find it so, he may conclude 
that it is a flock of either Ducks,* Widgeon,f or Teal; those 
first perceived resting on the shore, and the others feeding at 
the water’s edge, of course not nearly so conspicuous.f If there 
is no motion at the margin of the loch, he must keep his glass 
fixed, and narrowly watch for some time, when, if what arrest¬ 
ed his attention he wild-fowl asleep, they will, in all probability, 
betray themselves by raising a head or flapping a wing. 
C( He must now take one or two large marks, that he will be 
sure to know again; and also another, about two or three hun¬ 
dred yards, immediately above, farther inland. Having done 
this, let him take a very wide circle and come round upon his 
inland mark. He must now walk as if treading upon glass : 
the least rustle of a bough, or crack of a piece of rotten wood 
under his feet, may spoil all, especially if the weather be calm. 
Having got to about one hundred yards from where he suppo¬ 
ses the birds to be, he will tell his retriever to lie down; the 
dog, if well trained, will at once do so, and never move. His 
master will then crawl forward, until he gets the advantage of a 
bush or tuft of reeds, and then raise his head by inches to look 
through it for his other marks. Having seen them, he has got 
an idea where the birds are, and will, with the utmost caution, 
* When the word “ Duck” is used in English works without qualification, the 
Mallard and Duck known, in this country generally, as the “ Green-head,” are 
intended. 
t The English Widgeon differs essentially from the American bird, but like 
it, is rather a shore bird than an inland fowl, though it is often shot up the 
country. 
t “ Duck-shooting on rivers and streams is generally unsatisfactory, there are 
so many turnings and windings which prevent you from seeing the fowl until 
they are close at hand, also so many tiny bays and creeks, where they conceal 
themselves beyond the possibility of detection, until the whirr of their wings and 
the croak of the Mallard betray their hiding-place. Unless the river be large 
and broad, even the most expert wild-fowl shooter must expect few heavy 
sitting shots, and content himself with the greater number being distant flying 
ones.” 
