Northern pintail

The Northern pintail is a recurring quarry in Richard Cantwell’s hunt on the frozen lagoon, where its rapid flight brings both a sudden kill and the frustration of birds that pass too high to shoot. The novel presents the pintails through their movement across the lagoon and through the changing fortunes of the hunt, rather than through a general account of the species.

Flight and the Shot Pair

A pair of pintails dives into the scene from nowhere, descending at a steep angle. Richard Cantwell hears their flight, turns, and shoots the drake; before it has fallen, he shoots its mate as she climbs away. She falls beside him. The abrupt sequence makes the pair’s speed and close formation part of the hunting encounter: the second shot follows almost immediately upon the first.

Birds Beyond the Decoys

Later, another flight of pintails passes high above the frozen-in decoys. The birds do not circle; they continue toward the sea. They are high enough to see the gun and the decoy arrangement, while the hen among the decoys responds with a hard quack. In a further passage, pintails again come over too high and go on toward the open sea without circling. Their passage contrasts with the earlier pair: these birds remain beyond the reach of the hunt.

Role in the Hunting Scene

The pintails mark the limits of Richard Cantwell’s control over the hunt. He can respond quickly when a pair comes within range, but the higher-flying birds depart untouched. Their movement also shapes his decision about whether to remain on the ice: with the lagoon frozen, he considers pulling out, though he suspects that ducks gathered farther out might be driven back toward him by another hunter. The pintails thus connect the practical details of shooting—the decoys, the gun, the ice, and the birds’ flight—to the scene’s contrast between a successful shot and an opportunity that passes away.