CHAPTER XII

SOME RECORDS IN SPANISH WILDFOWLING

El Travierso, _February 9, 1901._--An hour before dawn we (five guns) lay echeloned obliquely across a mile of water, the writer's position being the second out. No. 1 squatted (in six inches of water) between me and the shore; but, being dissatisfied, moved elsewhere shortly after day-break, leaving with me two geese and about a dozen ducks. These, with thirty-six of my own, I set out as decoys. Shortly thereafter I heard the gaggle of geese, and two, coming from behind, were already so near that there was only time to change _one_ cartridge to big shot. The geese passed abeam, quite low and within thirty yards, but six feet apart--impossible to get them both. Held on; upon seeing that the decoys were a fraud, the geese spun up vertically, and that _one_ cartridge secured both. The incident gives opportunity to introduce two rough sketches pencilled down at the moment. During this day there were recurrent periods when for ten or fifteen, minutes ducks flew extremely fast and well--_revoluciones_, our keepers term these sporadic intermittent movements; then for a full hour or more might follow a spell of absolute silence and an empty sky. Almost the whole of these successive flights concentrated on No. 2--such is fowler's luck,--so that by dusk I had gathered 105 ducks, 3 geese, 3 flamingoes, and 4 godwits; total, 115. The next gun (J. C. C.), though only 200 yards away, in No. 3, had but 30 ducks; while the others had practically had no shooting all day. Bertie, however, two miles away at the Desierto, added 65--bringing the day's total to 268 ducks, 8 geese, etc. Three guns left to-night.

Next day at the Cañaliza, Bertie and I had 70 ducks by noon, when (by reason of intense sun-glare at the point) I shifted back to my yesterday's post--two hours' tramp through sticky mud and water, with a load of cartridges, ducks, etc. Thereat in one hour (4 to 5 P.M.) I secured 56 ducks, bringing my total for the two days--a record in my humble way, but surpassed threefold, as will be seen on following pages--to over 200 head, and for the party, to precisely 500 (491 ducks and 9 geese), besides flamingoes, ruffs, grey-plover, etc.

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A curious incident occurred on February 11 (1907). But few ducks--and they all teal--had "flighted" early, and a strong west wind having "blown" the water, my post was left near dry. Just as I prepared to move 300 yards eastward, a marvellous movement of teal commenced. On the far horizon appeared three whirling clouds, each perhaps 100 yards in length by 20 in depth, and all three waltzing and wheeling in marshalled manoeuvres down channel towards me. To right and left in rhythmical revolutions swept those masses, doubling again and again upon themselves with a precision of movement that passes understanding. Each unit of those thousands, actuated by simultaneous impulse, changed course while moving at lightning speed; and with that changed course they changed also their colour, flashing in an instant from dark to silvery white, while the roar of wings resembled an earthquake.

All three clouds had already passed along the deeper water beyond my reach when there occurred this strange thing. A peregrine falcon had for some time been hanging around studying with envious eye the dozen or two dead ducks stuck up around my post; now he swept away, as it were, to intercept that feathered avalanche on my right, with the result that the third and last cloud, being cut off, doubled back in tumultuous confusion right in my face--what a spectacle! The puny twelve-bore brought down a perfect shower of teal--probably 30 or more fell all around me. I gathered 18 as fast as the sticky mud allowed; others fluttered here and there beyond reach; how many in all escaped to feed marsh-harriers none can tell.

Another incident with peregrine:--I had just taken post for night-flighting at the Albacias, when, as dusk fell, a big bird appeared in the gloom making, with laboured flight, directly towards me. Thinking (though doubtfully) that it was a goose, I fired. The stranger proved to be a beautiful adult peregrine, carrying in its claws a marbled duck, and the pair are now set up in my collection.

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Figures such as the following are apt to provoke two sentiments: (1) that they are not true, or that (2), being true, such results must be easy of attainment. The first we pass over. As regards the second, the assumption ignores the nature and essential character of wildfowl.

These, being cosmopolitans, remain precisely the same wherever on the earth's surface they happen to be found. It is their sky they change, not their natural disposition or their fixed habits, when wildfowl shift their homes. The difficulty is that not half-a-dozen men in a thousand understand wildfowl or the supreme difficulty which their pursuit entails, whether in Spain, England, or elsewhere.

In England, it is true, such results are out of the question, simply because the country is highly drained, cultivated, and populous. Were it desired to recover for England those immigrant hosts--the operation would not be impossible--break down the Bedford Level and flood five counties! Then you might enjoy in the Midlands such scenes as to-day we see in Spain.

As a matter of simple fact--and this we state without suspicion of egotism, or careless should such uncharitably be imputed--the results recorded below represent even for Spain something that approaches the human maximum alike in wild-fowling skill, in endurance, and in deadly earnest.

That test of individual skill has, it may go without saying, been demonstrated during all these years times without number. There are not, within the authors' knowledge, a score of men who have fairly gathered to their gun in one day 100 ducks in the open marisma. Again, while one such gun, who is thoroughly efficient, will secure his century, others (including excellent game-shots) will fail to bag one-tenth of that number. There can be no question here of "luck" in that long run of years.

A feature, more valuable than the figures themselves, is the light they throw upon the varying distribution of the _Anatidae_ (both specifically and seasonably) in the south of Spain.

1897. _November 10._--ONE GUN (W. J. B.) Dawn at El Puntal 6 geese Forenoon at Santolalla 128 ducks Afternoon " " 2 stags

1897. _November 25._--LAS NEUVAS (C. D. W. and B. F. B.) 307 ducks, 53 geese (Geese, all the afternoon, came well in to decoys)

1898. _January_ 29, 30, and 31.--TWO GUNS (W. D. M. and W. J. B.) 437 ducks, 17 geese

1903._January 18._--FLIGHT-SHOOTING WITH 12-BORE AT CAÑO DULCE (ONE GUN)

139 Wigeon 32 Pintail 20 Teal 22 Shovelers 10 Gadwall 1 Mallard 3 Greylag Geese

Total, 224 ducks and 3 _geese_. About one-half shot on natural flight before 11 A.M.; the rest later, over "decoys." Nice breeze all day.

1903. _February._--THREE CONSECUTIVE DAYS' FLIGHTING (ONE GUN)

February 22. February 23. February 24.

Pintaila 49 39 68 Wigeon 17 18 5 Shovelers 41 70 2 Teal 10 17 2 Gadwall 1 0 3 Marbled Duck 1 0 0 Garganey 1 1 0 Mallard 0 0 1 --- --- --- 120 145 81 = 346

On the 24th a succession of pintails came in, all _in pairs_. Almost the entire bag of that species was made in double shots.

1903. _March 4._--BEYOND DESIERTO, FLIGHTING (ONE GUN)

124 Teal 7 Pintail 2 Mallard 4 Shovelers

Put away many thousands of teal early. These kept coming back in small lots all day. But the wind held wrong all through, and the _Viento de la mar_ (= sea-breeze) did not blow up till 5 P.M. Nine camels passed close by.

1904. _November 8._--LAGUNA DE SANTOLALLA (ONE GUN)

102 Teal 14 Pochard 3 Gadwall 7 Mallard 3 Shovelers 6 Ferruginous Duck 25 Marbled Duck --- Total 159 Ducks

1905. _November 8._--(P. GARVEY, C. D. W., and B. F. B.)

Santolalla 264 ducks

1905. _December 3._--CAÑO DULCE (ONE GUN)

3 Greylag Geese 121 Wigeon 47 Teal 3 Pintail 3 Shovelers 1 Flamingo --- Total 178

1905-6. TWO DAYS AT CAÑO DULCE (ONE GUN)

Dec. 17, 1905. Feb. 17, 1906.

Wigeon 235 47 Shovelers 10 13 Pintail 18 62 Gadwall 6 0 Teal 2 6 Marbled Duck 1 0 Geese 1 2 ---- ---- 273 130

The total on December 17 represents the "Record," and was made (as was that with geese, see p. 131) by B. F. B.

The whole of the above records refer to flight-shooting with a 12-bore gun.

Following is a list of the different ducks shot by one gun during two consecutive seasons:--

1902-3. 1903-4.

Wigeon 277 230 Pintail 267 28 Mallard 9 42 Gadwall 21 36 Shovelers 195 32 Teal 276 269 Garganey 2 1 Marbled Duck 4 51 Pochard[22] 1 0 Pochard, Crested 1 0 Tufted Duck 0 1 White-faced Duck 0 1 Unenumerated 191 0 ---- --- 1244 726