HINTS 
 
 SHORE SHOOTING; 
 
 WITH A CHAPTER ON 
 
 SKINNING AND PBESEBVING BIRDS. 
 
 JAMES EDMUND HARTING, F.L.S., F.Z.S., 
 
 AUTHOR OF " THE BIKDS OF MIDDLESEX," ETC. ETC. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 JOHN VAN VOORST, PATERNOSTER ROW. 
 
 1871. 
 
LONDON : 
 
 PRINTED BY WOODFALL AND KINDER, 
 M1LFORD LANE, STRAND, W.C. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 WHERE TO Go, AND WHAT TO TAKE WITH YOU ... 1 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 How TO Go TO WORK . . ...... 8 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 THE BIRDS TO BE MET WITH 13 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 DIFFICULTIES AND RESOURCES 23 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERS OF THE SHORE BIRDS . .29 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 REMINISCENCES 46 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 ON SKINNING AND PRESERVING BIRDS 79 
 
 927231 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 SOME of the following chapters have already ap- 
 peared in print in the shape of articles contributed 
 to different periodicals. Others have never been pre- 
 viously published. They embody the result of the 
 Author's personal experience in a pursuit to which, 
 for many years, he has been devoted; and hence 
 no statement is made the accuracy of which has 
 not been repeatedly tested. 
 
 The descriptions and measurements of the birds 
 have been taken from a very large series in the 
 Author's private collection, and may therefore be 
 relied upon as correct. 
 
 With the view of imparting instruction to some, 
 and amusement to others (those who, like himself, 
 have gone over the same ground with the same en- 
 thusiasm), the Author now commends these Notes to 
 the perusal of sportsmen and naturalists. 
 
H I N T'&K : - i 
 
 SHOEE SHOOTING. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 WHERE TO GO, AND WHAT TO TAKE WITH YOU. 
 
 THOSE who have been much upon our coasts know 
 that there are two different kinds of shores ; that 
 which slopes down to the sea with a gentle declivity, 
 and that which rises with a precipitate boldness, 
 and seems set as a bulwark to repel the force of the 
 invading waves. 
 
 The class of birds which haunts the one is very 
 different to that which frequents the other. If you 
 would observe the web-footed birds the gulls, 
 puffins, guillemots, razor-bills, and cormorants you 
 
 B 
 
2 SHORE BIRDS. 
 
 should visit the rugged limestone rocks or white 
 chalk cliffs ; if you would study the long-billed, long- 
 legged wading birds, you must seek the oozy mud- 
 flats or the glistening sands. It is the latter birds 
 which now engage our attention ; with the former 
 the shore shooter has no concern. 
 
 Nothing can be more unsportsmanlike or more 
 inhuman than to shoot gulls and puffins by the 
 score from the rocks. To the majority of shooters 
 they are useless when killed, and no one deserving 
 of the name of sportsman should countenance the 
 wholesale destruction of birds whose confiding 
 nature and gregarious habits render them such easy 
 victims to the gun, and whose beauty and utility are 
 wrested with their life. 
 
 By " shore shooting, " then, is here intended 
 the pursuit of the various species of plovers and 
 sandpipers which frequent our shores and tidal har- 
 bours, and which, by reason of their exposed haunts, 
 extreme wariness, and rapid flight, test the crafty 
 powers of the fowler, his judgment and strength in 
 stalking, and his skill in shooting. 
 
 Many sportsmen who delight in a long day's 
 partridge -shooting, and who would walk miles to 
 
SHORE SHOOTING DEFINED. 3 
 
 join in a good " battue," speak with contempt of 
 what they are pleased to term " shore popping." 
 
 The reason is pretty obvious; they have either 
 never tried it, or have never been very successful in 
 their attempts. The style of shooting is so diffe- 
 rent to that to which -they have been accustomed, 
 that they miss more frequently than hit ; or, if they 
 lack no skill in aiming, they are prevented from 
 exercising it for want of a knowledge of the habits 
 of the birds, and the requisite skill to approach 
 them. 
 
 Again, the man who is wedded to a turkey- 
 carpet and an elaborate cuisine, cannot stand the 
 sanded floor and eggs-and-bacon at a remote seaside 
 inn. He grumbles at the notion of having to clean 
 his own gun and grease his own boots, and wonders 
 what amusement can be found in shivering with 
 cold in a punt, or wading knee-deep in mud, for the 
 sake of a few golden plovers. All we can say is 
 <( try it." After the monotony of a month's par- 
 tridge-shooting, the change is delightful. As a re- 
 ceipt for health and strength there is nothing like 
 it, and when you have once become acquainted 
 with the haunts and habits of the birds, and 
 
 B 2 
 
HEAD-QUARTERS. 
 
 know how to get at them, the sport is most 
 fascinating. 
 
 Above all, the variety of species to be met with, 
 and the uncertainty of what will " get up " next, 
 furnishes an amount of excitement which is not to 
 be found in any other branch- of shooting. 
 
 If one felt disposed to write a treatise on the 
 subject, abundance of material presents itself 
 Firstly, one might discuss the " head-quarters" to 
 be selected ; secondly, the quantity and quality of 
 what the Romans so happily termed impedimenta, 
 to be carried ; thirdly, the different methods of 
 "going to work;" fourthly, the various species of 
 shore birds to be met with, and how to tell them 
 at a distance, by their actions on the ground, by 
 their flight, and by their note ; fifthly, how to skin 
 and preserve them if desired ; and lastly, how to 
 cook and eat them. 
 
 As to " head-quarters," it is, perhaps, needless 
 to observe that large and fashionable seaside towns 
 should be studiously avoided a small fishing vil- 
 lage, near a tidal harbour, with a few scattered 
 houses and a single inn, is the desideratum. You 
 may either lodge at the inn, or look out for a more 
 
GUNS. 5 
 
 comfortable room in a neighbouring farmhouse : it 
 is advisable to sleep as near your fishing as pos- 
 sible, to economize time and lessen fatigue. 
 
 The amount of luggage you take need not be 
 much a couple of old shooting suits that are not to 
 be seen again " in society," a pair of waterproof 
 boots for the marsh, a pair of lace-up boots for the 
 punt, with gaiters for the shingle to keep out the 
 stones, a change of linen proportionate to your 
 length of stay in the place, and a few pairs of warm 
 woollen socks, will be amply sufficient for all pur- 
 poses. 
 
 As to guns, an ordinary 12-bore breechloader, 
 with three sizes of shot in the cartridges, will kill 
 anything you are likely to come across, if it be only 
 held straight ; the regular long punt gun, carrying 
 a quarter or half a pound of shot, is all very well 
 for the professional gunner, who has to keep himself 
 and family by the sale of the birds he kills, but it is 
 quite superfluous with the amateur, who, if he is a 
 fair shot, can kill quite as many birds as he requires 
 in a day, especially if he means to preserve them 
 afterwards. 
 
 As to the size of shot, opinions differ widely. 
 
6 SIZE OF SHOT. 
 
 An old fowler of our acquaintance says, " Depend 
 upon it, sir, small shot is the best," and after many 
 trials we are disposed to agree with him. We have 
 on many occasions shot all day with No. 7, and 
 bagged snipe, duck, teal, coots, and water-hens. 
 But although this size will do very well in the 
 marsh, where you can walk well up to your birds, it 
 will not do to trust to it in the punt, where you are 
 often compelled to fire at long ranges, and conse- 
 quently require a heavier shot. Do not forget a 
 waterproof cartridge bag, for nothing is more annoy- 
 ing than to find after a shower that the cartridges in 
 your pocket have bulged with the wet and will not 
 go into the gun. Should this happen at a distance 
 from home, all sport for the day is at an end. In 
 addition to the above-mentioned items, it is desirable 
 to take with you a pocket flask, a bottle or two of the 
 best pale brandy (never trust to the best " British " 
 at the inn), a couple of pounds of tea, and, if you 
 have reason to doubt the quality of the larder, a 
 tongue, brawn, or what not, to carry you on until 
 such time as you can stock the larder yourself with 
 the produce of your gun. Should you forget, or 
 omit, to take your own tea with you, and find that at 
 
ODDS AND ENDS. 7 
 
 the inn bad, a tablespoonful of good brandy effects a 
 wonderful improvement in it. 
 
 As regards the bird-stuffing apparatus, all that 
 you will require will be a sharp knife, a pair of scis- 
 sors (nail-scissors are best), a supply of cotton wool, 
 a canister of plaster-of-Paris, a tin of arsenical 
 paste, with a brush to use it, needles, thread, and a 
 wooden knitting-needle. With these few items you 
 may skin and preserve anything in the world, as we 
 purpose to show later in a few hints on the subject. 
 
CHAPTEE II. 
 
 HOW TO GO TO WORK. 
 
 ALTHOUGH some few species of shore birds may be 
 found on our coasts throughout the year, the majority 
 of them, and certainly the most attractive species, 
 are birds of double passage ; that is to say, they 
 visit us in flocks in spring on their way northwards 
 to their breeding haunts, and again in autumn on 
 their return southwards for the winter. Thus it will 
 be seen that it is not enough to select a favourable 
 locality for shore shooting, but success will to a cer- 
 tain extent depend upon the time of year at which 
 that locality is visited. May and August are, par 
 excellence, the two best months for shore shooting. 
 In May the flocks are composed exclusively of old 
 birds, which have by that time assumed, more or less, 
 their summer plumage ; in August the greater por- 
 tion of the flocks which visit us consist of young 
 
PRELIMINARIES. 9 
 
 birds in a phase of plumage intermediate in colour 
 between the summer and winter dress of their parents. 
 Heavier bags will be made in autumn than in spring ; 
 first, because the flocks which pass southwards in 
 autumn are much larger than those which go north- 
 wards in spring; and secondly, because the young 
 birds are less shy and suspicious, and will permit a 
 much nearer approach. 
 
 Having arranged these preliminaries, then, the 
 choice of locality and the time to visit it, you arrive 
 at the " happy hunting ground " with the necessaries 
 before referred to. The next question is how to go 
 to work. In the first place, it is necessary to learn 
 the geography of the neighbourhood, and a day or 
 two thus employed will be well spent. It is not to 
 be supposed that this means a walk along shore. 
 We have alluded to the vicinity of a tidal harbour or 
 river mouth. More birds will be found in such situa- 
 tions than along shore, because there is more fresh 
 food to be obtained there. You must visit the har- 
 bour, then, at flood-tide and ebb-tide ; ascertain which 
 of the " muds " are last covered by water, and first 
 exposed at the turn of the tide ; and find out whither 
 the birds go at high water. Some birds, as the 
 
10 GETTING TO BIRDS. 
 
 Knots, Kinged Plover, and Dunlins, go on to the 
 beach, and doze on the warm shingle till the water 
 falls again ; others, as the Golden Plover, Peewits, 
 and Godwits, betake themselves to the meadows and 
 marshes, and appear to be " on the feed " all day. 
 A good deal of information may be obtained from 
 the native fishermen, and the best plan is not to go 
 down to the beach and engage the first man who 
 offers, for he will probably know less on the subject 
 than any one else, but quietly find out at the inn who 
 has the best reputation for wildfowling, and send for 
 him overnight, when you can arrange plans for the 
 next morning. 
 
 There are several ways of getting to birds. You 
 may punt down the harbour at low water, and shoot 
 them on the " muds ; " you may stalk them at high 
 tide under cover of a sea wall, or bank of shingle, 
 or you may "lay up" in their line of flight just be- 
 fore high water, and shoot them as they leave the 
 harbour for the beach or marshes. The last-named 
 plan .-answers admirably if you happen to select the 
 right spot; and as 'soon as the last "mud" is nearly 
 covered, and the birds begin to move, you may have 
 some capital shooting if you only hold straight. 
 
SCULLING. 1.1 
 
 "We have frequently had eight or ten birds of various 
 kinds down before we could stop to pick up one, and 
 in consequence have lost many a winged bird, which 
 had time to run and hide before it could be secured. 
 In a case like this a good retriever is invaluable ; the 
 plan which ensures the heaviest bag, however, with 
 the least fatigue is undoubtedly the first named. In 
 this case you must start on a flood-tide, a little before 
 high water, and punt down the channels or creeks, 
 which often lie so much below the mud as to prevent 
 your seeing anything as you proceed except a high 
 mud bank on either side of you. If you don't know 
 how to scull, you must take a man with you who does, 
 and who is acquainted, moreover, with the habits of 
 the birds, and knows how to get at them. By 
 " sculling " we do not mean that you are to sit up- 
 right, and with a pair of long oars pull and " feather " 
 as on the Cam or Isis, but lying down in the punt 
 with a single short oar in an ou trigged rowlock on 
 your right, you propel the punt with a movement 
 analogous to the " screw" of a steamer. It requires 
 some practice to work a punt in this way, especially 
 in difficult channels and shallow water. 
 
 We do not here dilate upon the most desirable 
 
12 THE GUNNING-PUNT. 
 
 form of punt, because, unless you take your own, you 
 must be content with what you can get. Suffice it 
 to say that we do not refer to a fishing-punt with a 
 heavy well and square ends, but to a gunning-punt, 
 narrow, long, and light, decked-in fore and aft, and 
 just big enough to take two persons only. Under 
 the fore-peak you may stow away your cartridges 
 " high and dry," not forgetting flask and sandwiches, 
 besides a good spy-glass and some cotton wool and 
 newspaper for any choice birds that may be worth 
 preserving. Thus equipped you lie down in the 
 bows, with your left arm and head just resting on the 
 fore-deck, and your gun pointing ahead in front of you. 
 Alongside and behind you lies your man, of whom 
 little is to be seen save his right hand upon the oar. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE BIRDS TO BE MET WITH. 
 
 AWAY you go with an easy gliding motion, the 
 water lapping against the flat sides of the punt, till 
 the little fishing village fades behind you in the dis- 
 tance, and you find yourself in a dreary waste of 
 mud and water far from every living thing save the 
 birds whose lives you are intent upon compassing. 
 Foremost amongst these the inevitable Dunlins, Ox- 
 birds, or Purres, as they are variously called, will 
 doubtless first attract your attention. These and 
 the Einged Plovers, from their insignificant size, 
 often escape the fate of their larger congeners, and 
 being unmolested, become emboldened to advance 
 nearer to the houses than any of the others, and 
 thus are generally the first to be met with. Scat- 
 tered over the mud in little flocks, they may be seen 
 in every variety of attitude, standing, running, 
 
14 THE CURLEW SANDPIPER. 
 
 flying; now and then a lanie one amongst them 
 hopping vigorously on one leg and vainly attempting 
 to keep pace with his more nimble companions. It 
 is well to scan these little flocks with your glass, for 
 now and then a stranger may be detected in the 
 ranks. The Curlew Sandpiper (Tringa subarquata) , 
 for instance, which resembles the Dunlin at a 
 distance, but which on a nearer view is seen to 
 stand higher on his legs, with a longer body and 
 white upper tail-coverts. In winter, the resem- 
 blance is greater than in summer, for at the latter 
 season the plumage of these two species is very 
 different, the Dunlin displaying a black breast, the 
 Curlew Sandpiper having the same part chestnut. 
 A common bird in our harbours generally is the 
 Redshank (Totanus calidris) (the fishermen always 
 call them Eed-legs), and it is not a difficult species 
 to approach. You may get tolerably close to them 
 sometimes in a punt, and if you can whistle well 
 when "laying up" on shore, you may easily call 
 them within shot. They have a wild, musical note, 
 which harmonizes strangely with the wild wastes 
 over which it is heard. So loud is their call, more- 
 over, that it may be heard long before the birds are 
 
THE REDSHANK. 15 
 
 in sight. From an observation made in one of the 
 Sussex harbours, we reckoned that the note could be 
 heard at the distance of a mile and a half ; for, when 
 "lying up" at the mouth of the harbour, waiting 
 for the flood-tide to take the birds oif their legs, we 
 could hear the Redshank's call just about the time 
 that the highest " muds " would be covered, a mile 
 and a half distant. In less than a minute after- 
 wards the birds came in sight a long, straggling 
 flock ; and in less than two minutes three of their 
 number were lying dead at our feet. There is a 
 larger species of Redshank known as the Spotted or 
 Dusky Redshank (Totanus fuscus), which is met 
 with, but rarely, in the same situations. Beyond its 
 superior size, it may be readily distinguished by its 
 longer legs and longer bill, the mandibles of which 
 come to a finer point, while the upper mandible 
 hooks over the under to a more noticeable extent. 
 The plumage in winter is not unlike that of the 
 commoner species, but in summer the Dusky Eed- 
 shank becomes almost, uniformly black, while the 
 tail is at all seasons longer and more closely 
 barred. 
 
 Less rare than the Dusky Redshank, yet by no 
 
16 THE GREENSHANK. 
 
 means a common bird, is the Greenshank (Tetanus 
 glottis). It is never seen in flocks like the Common 
 Redshank, although it will feed in company with the 
 latter species. It separates, however, from the others 
 on rising, and being an extremely shy and watchful 
 bird, will frequently give the alarm, and so spoil a 
 good shot, for which you may have worked for half 
 an hour. Single birds may be whistled round within 
 shot if you remain perfectly still ; and this applies 
 more particularly to young birds in the autumn. 
 The Greenshank differs from the Redshank not only 
 in the colour of the legs, which are pea-green, instead 
 of orange-red, but in the shape of the bill, which 
 curves slightly upwards, showing, in this respect, an 
 affinity to the Godwits. Of the last named we have 
 two species, the Bar-tailed (Limosa rufa), and the 
 Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa melanura). The Bar- 
 tailed is by far the commoner of the two, and visits 
 our shores regularly in spring and autumn, often in 
 considerable numbers. In summer plumage it is a 
 remarkably handsome bird, having the whole of the 
 underparts bright bay, while the back is mottled 
 with various shades of brown and black, the tail 
 barred, and the rump white. So regularly does this 
 
THE KNOT. 17 
 
 bird make its appearance, that on some parts of the 
 coast the 12th of May is called "godwit day," and all 
 the gunners in the place turn out in full expectation 
 of making a good bag. When the birds first come 
 they are very tame, and you may get within thirty 
 yards of them before they will take wing, but after a 
 few shots have thinned their numbers it is not so 
 easy to approach them. They are such good eating, 
 however, that it is well worth a little trouble to bag 
 a few. The Black-tailed Godwit, although formerly 
 a regular summer migrant, nesting in some parts of 
 the eastern counties, is now generally regarded as an 
 occasional visitant only. It has long ceased to breed 
 here, and can only be looked for with any chance of 
 success at the periods of migration in spring and 
 autumn. It is a much-longer legged bird than the 
 Bar-tailed Godwit, and although it assumes a similar 
 rufous plumage in summer, the bright bay colour 
 never extends below the breast as in the other species. 
 The tail too, instead of being barred, is white, ter- 
 minated by a broad black band. Another bird which 
 undergoes a similar change of plumage, being red in 
 summer and grey and white in winter, is the Knot 
 (Tringa canutus). In the autumn this bird may be 
 
18 THE TURNSTONE. 
 
 seen in large flocks, and is often exceedingly tame. 
 It is one of the easiest birds to decoy by an imitation 
 of its note, and as it is not so fast a flyer as many of 
 the shore birds, it is easily stopped. On one occa- 
 sion we whistled five Knots right over the punt, and 
 stopped them all before they were out of range. On 
 some parts of the coast the Knot is called the " little 
 plover," perhaps from its rounded head and short 
 bill and legs, which reminds one somewhat of a 
 plover. 
 
 On the sand and shingle, but not often on the 
 mud, you will see that handsome little bird, Turn- 
 stone (Strepsilas interpres). Black, chestnut, and 
 white are its principal colours ; a short horn-coloured 
 bill, and orange legs. In size it is somewhat larger 
 than a Einged Plover, and has a peculiar twittering 
 note, between a whistle and a chatter, and difficult 
 to describe. It looks very black and white on the 
 wing, in consequence of the dark primaries, broad 
 black gorget, and white underparts. Seldom more 
 than three or four are seen together, although it is 
 sometimes seen feeding with Kinged Plovers, and 
 tiying with them when disturbed. In the same way 
 the Knot frequently accompanies the flocks of 
 
THE OYSTER-CATCHER. 19 
 
 Dunlin. That handsome black and white bird, the 
 Oyster-catcher (Hcematopus ostralegus) , with its long 
 orange bill and pink legs, is more attractive in ap- 
 pearance than in point of flavour. It cannot be 
 recommended for the table; for, as compared with 
 the Godwits, Greenshank, and Knot, its flesh is 
 decidedly coarse and unpalatable. By some it is 
 called the Sea-pie (from its resemblance in colour 
 to the Magpie), by others the Olive (the derivation 
 of which term is uncertain). The appellation of 
 Oyster-catcher is of course a misnomer, for the bird 
 is utterly incapable of opening " a native." Crabs, 
 whelks, and sand-eels furnish it with food, and it 
 can crush a mussel, and prise a limpet off the rock 
 with comparative ease. But the rock-like shell of 
 an oyster, which defies for a time a well-directed 
 blade of steel, fairly bothers a hungry Oyster- 
 catcher. It is not very often that you can get a 
 shot at one of these birds, unless you come upon 
 them unawares. They are very suspicious, and 
 keep a sharp look-out. 
 
 But of all shy birds, commend us to the Curlew. 
 If you can see a Curlew within shot before he 
 sees you, and can stalk and kill him, you may 
 
 c 2 
 
20 THE CURLEW. 
 
 flatter yourself you are not a bad hand at shore 
 shooting. The young birds in autumn, like those 
 of many other species, are more readily approached 
 and decoyed, but to kill an old Curlew, except by 
 a lucky chance, requires an amount of patience, 
 endurance, and stratagem, that few who have not 
 tried it would credit. We have proved on several 
 occasions, however, that the Curlew depends for 
 safety upon his keen sight, and not upon his sense 
 of smell or hearing. His clear wild cry of cour-lieu 
 must be familiar to all who love a walk along shore. 
 His smaller congener the Whimbrel (Numenius 
 phoeopus) is not unlike him in appearance and 
 habits. On the south coast this bird is called the 
 Titterel, from his note. In many places it is known 
 as the May-bird, from its regular appearance on our 
 shores in the month of May. The young birds are 
 not bad eating, but neither this species nor the 
 Curlew can be compared for flavour to the smaller 
 sandpipers. The Common Sandpiper comes down 
 to the coast, but generally keeps to the brackish 
 water, and is never seen right out on the mud, like 
 the Dunlin and other small waders. In the same 
 way the Green and Wood Sandpipers (Totanus 
 
THE GREY PLOVER. 21 
 
 ochropus and glareola ) prefer the marsh, and the 
 neighbourhood of fresh-water pools and streams, 
 and thus are seldom met with by the shore shooter 
 unless he wanders inland to vary his bag. Both 
 these birds rise like snipe, and fly rapidly with 
 many twists and turns. They both " shew the 
 white feather " on their backs, but have a 
 different note, and the Wood Sandpiper looks 
 much lighter in colour, while the other is nearly 
 black. On comparison also it will be found that 
 the Wood Sandpiper has a shorter bill and longer 
 legs than its congener, and the tail is much more 
 barred. 
 
 Another bird which is common in most harbours 
 at the seasons we have mentioned, and which ought 
 not to be overlooked, is the Grey Plover (Squatarola 
 helvetica). In its summer plumage, it is perhaps 
 unrivalled amongst the shore birds for beauty. 
 The back and wings are boldly chequered with 
 black and white, while the whole of the underparts, 
 from chin to vent, are jet black. In its winter 
 plumage, the Grey Plover might be mistaken for 
 another species, and is, in fact, frequently con- 
 founded with the Golden Plover ; for after the 
 
22 THE MUSIC OF THE SHOEE. 
 
 autumn moult all trace of black disappears, and 
 the whole of the underparts from jet black be- 
 come pure white. So complete a change is very 
 remarkable, and puzzled the ancient naturalists 
 to such an extent that they made two species 
 out of one in different stages of plumage. This 
 was the case also with the Godwits, Knot, Ruff, and 
 others. 
 
 The Grey Plover is larger than the Golden Plover, 
 and though it resembles it in winter, it may 
 readily be distinguished by its small hind toe, which 
 is wanting in the other, and by the colour of the 
 axillary plumes, which are black instead of white. 
 It is an excellent bird for the table, and is well worth 
 the trouble of stalking. It has a peculiarly mournful 
 cry, which cannot fail to attract a musical ear, 
 since it consists of two notes, the second of which, 
 with an appogiatura, is a semi-tone only above 
 the first. Indeed he who with a taste for sporting 
 combines a love for music, should not fail to make 
 himself acquainted with the wild notes of the shore 
 birds, for he will thus find another charm in the 
 many attractions of shore shooting. 
 
CHAPTEE IV. 
 
 DIFFICULTIES AND RESOURCES. 
 
 As the sun slowly sets, and evening closes in, 
 two ideas forcibly suggest themselves, namely, that 
 it is becoming too dark to shoot, and that dinner 
 would be very acceptable. A few sandwiches and a 
 flask of sherry can scarcely be considered a meal, at 
 all events by the shore shooter, who has worked 
 hard for ten or twelve hours, but eating is quite 
 a secondary consideration the excitement of the 
 sport does not allow one to think of it. Neverthe- 
 less, you must eat to live, as you would live to shoot, 
 and the day's sport ended, there is nothing for it 
 but to return home. The birds to be preserved, 
 each with a little cotton wool in the mouth to 
 prevent the escape of saliva, which would stain the 
 feathers, and placed head first in a cone of paper 
 (such as the grocers make for sugar) to keep the 
 plumage in order, being stowed carefully away; 
 
24 TWILIGHT. 
 
 larger shot substituted in the gun on the chance of 
 getting a duck or heron on the way home ; and the 
 solacing pipe well filled and lit ; a satisfactory start 
 is finally effected. 
 
 As the punt glides slowly on over an ebb-tide, 
 there is abundant time and abundant matter for the 
 most agreeable reflections. The shore line fades 
 from view; land and water unite, you know not 
 where ; sea and sky seem one vast element ; the 
 clouds so many islands in an unknown ocean. You 
 gaze and dream, and dream and gaze, until a pecu- 
 liar grating sound at the bottom of the punt rudely 
 dispels the "sublime," and obtrudes the "ridicu- 
 lous " fact that you are hard and fast on a mud 
 bank. Did you ever get stuck upon a mud bank 
 with the tide running out? If not, don't, if you 
 can help it. It is anything but amusing, and 
 usually provokes bad language. In this dilemma, 
 if you are a novice at " setting," you will in all 
 probability place your oar too deep, and holding on 
 to save it as the punt glides away, you will slowly 
 but surely go overboard. On the other hand, should 
 you escape such a mischance, you may long try in 
 vain to extricate the punt, and sit and row, and 
 
DISCOMFORTS. 25 
 
 stand and shove, until your patience is exhausted, 
 and your pipe goes out. Perhaps, just as you flatter 
 yourself " she is going," some birds pass overhead 
 within twenty yards of you, and, in attempting to 
 pick up the gun in a hurry, you are again nearly 
 overboard. Of course, they are out of sight before 
 you can fire, and you have the dissatisfaction of 
 knowing that you have just missed " something 
 rare." 
 
 These are some of the discomforts of shore 
 shooting (and every sport has its discomforts), but a 
 little practice combined with energy will overcome 
 such trifles as these, and make attendant success 
 seem all the greater. 
 
 He who shoots for mere sport, and cares not what 
 becomes of his birds at the end of the day, will in 
 all probability find his evenings at the inn somewhat 
 " slow." Books and periodicals may help to while 
 away a portion of the time, and the fragrant weed 
 may soothe, and seem to drive away fatigue ; but 
 after a long day's shooting, and a late dinner, an 
 inclination to doze is almost irresistible. 
 
 Not only amusement, however, but a good deal of 
 information may often be obtained from the fisher- 
 
26 COMPANIONSHIP. 
 
 men and professional gunners in the neighbourhood. 
 There are some, no doubt, who would scout the idea 
 .of conversing with such men, and call it lowering 
 and undignified. We cannot regard it in that light. 
 Doubtless, if you associate with them as an equal, 
 frequent the public-house with them, and be hail- 
 fellow-well-met on every occasion, their respect will 
 speedily vanish, and their civility will last only so 
 long as you choose to spend your money amongst 
 them. But no one with any respect for himself 
 would think of pursuing such a course as this, and 
 we are convinced that the gentleman who, in con- 
 versation with his inferiors, speaks and acts as a 
 gentleman, does not lower his own position, but 
 elevates theirs. More than this, he may learn a 
 great deal of them. 
 
 Many of these fishermen are observant and intel- 
 ligent men ; they are out at all hours, and in all 
 weathers; their particular calling obliges them to 
 rise early, to lay their nets, put down their lobster- 
 pots, or steal a march upon the fowl at daybreak, 
 and they thus acquire an amount of information 
 which often surprises a more highly educated, but 
 less observant, man. 
 
OBSERVATION. 27 
 
 Every naturalist discovers, sooner or later, that 
 one hour abroad before breakfast is worth half a 
 dozen afterwards. All nature is then seen to per^ 
 fection ; flowers which close their tender petals at 
 noon are found at morn in all their beauty, on each 
 expanded leaf a glistening drop ; the birds, which 
 are silent throughout the heat of the day, pour 
 forth at early light their loudest melodies ; the wild- 
 fowl are busy feeding on the ooze, and the various 
 species of shore birds, profiting by the first ebb-tide, 
 are running here and there over the glistening sands, 
 gleaning hastily the harvest of the sea. 
 
 Listen to the fisherman's account of what he has 
 seen at daybreak the peregrine stocking his larder, 
 the kingfisher stealing the little fish from the 
 lobster-pots as soon as they are exposed by the 
 receding tide, the hundreds of gulls hovering round 
 the herring-nets, " three miles out," the divers, or 
 " sprat-loons, " coming up "all round the boat," 
 etc., etc., and if you are not amused and instructed 
 we are very much mistaken. Listen again to the 
 honest fowler's account of one or two of his lucky 
 days how he marked down some ducks in a " rife " 
 where he could creep to them, how he peeped 
 
28 RESOURCES. 
 
 quietly over the bank, and saw them all swimming 
 within thirty yards of him, how he stopped four 
 with one barrel, and knocked down a fifth as it went 
 away; or how he killed the three wild swans last 
 winter in the snow, when the cap snapped twice, 
 and his fingers were so cold he could scarcely feel 
 the trigger. If these stories do not keep you 
 awake, and make you long for morning, to accom- 
 pany him, you are no true sportsman. 
 
 But it will often happen that no such resources 
 are needed ; there will, perhaps, be half a dozen 
 birds to skin, which will fully occupy you until bed- 
 time, and he who visits the coast to make himself 
 thoroughly acquainted with the shore birds, and 
 intends to collect and preserve specimens for future 
 study and comparison, must make up his mind to 
 take somewhat less sleep than usual. 
 
CHAPTEE V. 
 
 DISTINGUISHING CHAEACTEES OF THE SHOEE BIEDS. 
 
 HAVING particularized the species which are in- 
 cluded in the general term " shore birds," it may be 
 well to point out the characters by which each may 
 be distinguished. It will require some experience 
 and observation before one can readily name every 
 bird in the list, for some of them are subject to such 
 variation of plumage (according to age and season), 
 that were it not for the possession of specimens in 
 intermediate coloration, the summer and winter 
 plumage of one and the same bird might easily 
 be taken to indicate two distinct species. 
 
 It will simplify matters if we divide the entire 
 class into two families, the PLOVEES (Charadriidce) , 
 and the SANDPIPEES (Scolopacida) . 
 
 The former may be known by their round heads and 
 short bills, and by their having only three toes on each 
 
30 DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERS. 
 
 foot, all of which are directed anteriorly. The latter 
 have more elongated heads, longer bills, and four 
 toes on each foot, three in front, and one (more or 
 less rudimentary) behind. 
 
 In the Plovers, the length of bill seldom varies 
 in any appreciable degree, but in the Sandpipers it 
 often varies very considerably. This is dependent 
 not only upon age, but also (in some species at least), 
 upon sex, the females almost invariably being the 
 larger birds with longer bills.* 
 
 There are two modes of conveying an idea of size, 
 either by comparing the bird to be described with a 
 well-known common species ; or by giving the actual 
 measurements of such portions of the anatomy as 
 are found to vary least in their relation to each 
 other, e.g. the bill, wing, and tarsus. The latter 
 mode, for many reasons, is the more preferable, and 
 is accordingly here adopted. 
 
 The bill is measured along the upper mandible 
 from the base to the tip. The wing is measured 
 from the carpal joint to the end of the first primary. 
 
 * Some interesting remarks on this subject will be found in Mr. 
 Stevenson's "Birds of Norfolk, 1 ' under the head of ''Bar -tailed 
 Godwit," vol. ii. p. 253. 
 
DISTINGUISHING CHAEACTERS. 31 
 
 The tarsus is measured from what is commonly, but 
 erroneously, called the knee-joint, to the heel. 
 
 In the following descriptions, the average measure- 
 ments only are given in inches and tenths, the 
 decimal system being so extremely simple, and so 
 readily- applicable,* 
 
 PLOVERS (Charadriidtf) . 
 
 GOLDEN PLOVER (Charadrius pluvialis). Entire 
 length, 11 inches; bill, 1 inch; wing, 7*5; tarsus, 
 1*5. General colour above, hair-brown, suffused with 
 bright yellow spots ; below, pure white. In summer, 
 the underparts more or less suffused with black. Ax- 
 illaries, at all seasons, white. Legs and toes black. 
 
 GREY PLOVER (Squatarola helvetica). Entire 
 length, 12 inches ; bill, 1*2 ; wing, 7*5 ; tarsus, 
 1*6. General colour above, grey and white ; chin, 
 white ; breast, dusky ; underparts, pure white. In 
 summer, dorsal plumage black and white; under- 
 parts, from chin downwards, more or less black. 
 Axillaries, at all seasons, black. Bill, legs and toes, 
 
 * A foot-rule, divided into inches and tenths, and called " a tenth- 
 rule," may be procured of any mathematical instrument maker for a 
 couple of shillings, and will be found extremely useful. 
 
32 DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERS. 
 
 black. A rudimentary hind toe. Young birds of 
 the year are spotted above with yellow like the 
 Golden Plover, but are distinguishable from that 
 species by the hind toe, and black axillaries. 
 
 LAPWING or PEEWIT (Vanellus cristatus). Entire 
 length, 12 inches ; bill, -9 ; wing, 9 in. ; tarsus, 1-5. 
 General colour above, bronze- green, with black wings ; 
 crown black, with long crest ; chin, throat and breast, 
 black ; cheeks, white ; belly, white ; under tail-coverts, 
 chestnut ; legs and toes, vinous. Has a short hind 
 toe. In winter, the chin and throat are white. 
 
 DOTTEREL (Eudromias morinellus). Not strictly 
 a shore bird, but met with on the coast at the 
 migratory periods. Entire length, 9' 5 inches ; 
 bill, -6; wing, 6 in.; tarsus, 1'3. General colour 
 above, hair-brown, with buff edges to the secondaries ; 
 crown, dark brown, bounded by white ; throat, white ; 
 breast, greyish-brown ; belly, chestnut terminated by 
 black, then white. The young have no chestnut or 
 black on the belly. Legs and toes, pale olive-green ; 
 soles, yellow-ochre. 
 
 KINGED PLOVER (sEgialites hiaticula). Entire 
 length, 7*75 inches ; bill, '5 in. ; wing, 5'3 ; tarsus, '9. 
 General colour above, hair-brown; bill black, base 
 
DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERS. 33 
 
 of ditto, yellow ; forehead white, with black band 
 above ; cheeks, black ; chin and upper collar, white ; 
 breast and lower collar, black; rest of underparts, 
 white. The shafts of all the quill-feathers medially 
 white. Outer tail-feather on each side white. Legs 
 and toes orange. 
 
 LITTLE KINGED PLOVER (^Egialites minor). Entire 
 length, 6*25 inches ; bill, *4 ; wing, 4*5 ; tarsus, '8. 
 General colour as in the last named. Distinguished 
 by its smaller size ; the shaft of only the first quill- 
 feather white ; the rest dusky ; and on the inner 
 web of the outer tail-feather, a dark spot. 
 
 The young of both species are brown where their 
 parents are black. 
 
 KENTISH PLOVER (sEgialites cantianus). Entire 
 length, 7 inches ; bill, *5 in. ; wing, 4*3 ; tarsus, '9. 
 General colour as in the two last named, but dis- 
 tinguished by sandy crown (in the male), by the 
 black collar not meeting on the breast, and by the 
 legs and toes being black instead of yellow. 
 
 SANDERLING (Calidris arenaria). Entire length, 
 8 inches ; bill, *9 ; wing, 5 in. ; tarsus, 1 in. General 
 colour in summer, reddish-brown, black and grey 
 above ; chin and breast, do. ; from breast downwards, 
 
34 DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERS. 
 
 pure white. In winter, grey and white above ; from 
 chin to vent, pure white ; bill, legs and toes, black. 
 Bill as in the Sandpipers. 
 
 Note. Toes three, as in the Plovers. 
 
 TURNSTONE (Strepsilas interpret) t Entire length, 
 9*5 inches; bill, *9 in.; wing, 6 in.; tarsus, -9, 
 General colour above, black and chestnut ; below, 
 breast black, belly white. Legs and toes orange-red. 
 A small hind toe. The young have no chestnut on 
 the back, but are mottled with black and light brown. 
 At all seasons the rump is white, crossed by a band 
 of black, and the tail black. 
 
 OYSTER-CATCHER (Hcematopus ostralegus). Entire 
 length, 16 inches ; bill, 2'5 in. ; wing, 10 in. ; tarsus, 
 1*8 in. General colour above, black, with a white 
 speculum on the wing ; head and neck, black ; under- 
 parts, pure white ; bill, orange ; legs and toes, flesh- 
 colour. In winter, the neck becomes white. 
 
 SANDPIPERS (Scolopacidce.) 
 
 CURLEW (Numenius arquatus). Entire length, 
 male 21 inches female 26 inches ; bill, 5 to 6 in. ; 
 wing, 11*5 to 12* 25 ; tarsus, 3. General colour above, 
 
DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERS. 35 
 
 greyish-brown, with dark centres to each feather ; 
 below, breast and flanks, spotted ; belly, white ; bill, 
 horn-colour; base of under mandible, flesh-colour; 
 legs and toes, lead colour. 
 
 WHIMBREL (Numenius phoeopus). Entire length, 
 male 16 inches female, 18 inches ; bill, 3 to 3'5 
 inches ; wing, 9'5 ; tarsus, 2 in. General colour 
 similar to the last named, but the axillaries are 
 much more barred, and upon the crown there are 
 two broad bars of brown nearly parallel, extending 
 from the base of the bill backwards to the nape. 
 
 COMMON REDSHANK (Totanus calidris). Entire 
 length, 11 inches; bill, 1*6; wing, 6'5 ; tarsus, 
 1-75 ; bare part of tibia, '9. General colour in 
 summer, above, hair-brown, transversely barred with 
 a darker shade; below, white, streaked longitudinally 
 with dark brown ; tail, white, barred with dark 
 brown ; bill, horn-colour, orange at base ; legs and 
 toes, orange. In winter, the plumage is more or 
 less of a uniform grey above, throat dusky, under^ 
 parts pure white, legs and toes paler than in 
 summer. The birds of the year are intermediate in 
 colour between the summer and winter plumages of 
 their parents. 
 
 D 2 
 
36 DISTINGUISHING CHAKACTEKS. 
 
 SPOTTED REDSHANK (Totanus fuscus). Entire 
 length, 12-5 inches ; bill, 2'8 ; wing, 6*75 ; tarsus, 
 2-25; bare part of tibia, 1*5. General colour in 
 summer, sooty black, with a few of the feathers 
 margined and spotted with white ; belly and rump, 
 more or less white ; tail, closely barred ; bill, horn- 
 colour, the base orange; legs and toes, vinous. 
 In winter, the plumage above is more or less of a 
 uniform grey, the throat faintly spotted, and the 
 breast and belly pure white. Legs and toes 
 lemon-colour. Birds of the year have the upper 
 portion of the plumage sooty brown, minutely 
 freckled with white ; the whole of the underparts, 
 from chin to vent, white, closely freckled with 
 light ash. 
 
 Note. The tarsus and tibia are much longer than 
 in the Common Redshank, and the bill is not only 
 much longer, but also more attenuated towards the 
 extremity, and the upper mandible curves down- 
 wards at the tip. 
 
 COMMON SANDPIPEB (Totanus hypoleucus). Entire 
 length, 7*5 inches; bill, 1; wing, 4*25; tarsus, '9. 
 General colour above, bronze ; throat, longitudinally 
 streaked with hair-brown. Breast and belly, pure 
 
DISTINGUISHING CHAEACTERS. 37 
 
 white. Bill, horn-colour, the base, flesh-colour. 
 Legs and toes, greyish-green. 
 
 GREEN SANDPIPER (Totanus ochropus). Entire 
 length, 9*5 inches; bill, 1*2; wing, 5'5; tarsus, 
 1*25 ; bare part of tibia, *7 in. General colour above, 
 greenish-brown ; in summer minutely freckled with 
 white, in winter almost uniform. Below, throat 
 white, longitudinally streaked with dark brown ; 
 breast and belly, white ; rump, white. Tail, with 
 outer feathers, white ; centre feathers broadly barred 
 with black. Bill, slate-colour. Legs and toes, 
 greyish-green. 
 
 Note. This bird has a very peculiar musky smell, 
 somewhat akin to that of the Petrels. 
 
 WOOD SANDPIPER (Totanus glareola). Entire 
 length, 9 inches ; bill, 1 in. ; wing, 5 in. ; tarsus, 
 1*4 ; bare part of tibia, -8. General colour, similar 
 to the last named, from which it differs in having a 
 shorter bill and longer legs, all the feathers in 
 the tail barred, and the quill of the first primary 
 white. In the Green Sandpiper all the quills are 
 black. 
 
 GREENSHANK (Totanus glottis.) Entire length, 12 
 inches ; bill, 2 ; wing, 7 ; tarsus, 2*25. General 
 
38 DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERS. 
 
 colour, in summer, grey mottled with black; 
 rump, white ; wings, black ; the shaft of the first 
 primary, white ; chin, throat and breast, white, 
 longitudinally streaked with black ; belly, pure 
 white. Bill, slate-colour ; legs and toes, pale 
 green. In winter, all trace of black disappears from 
 the upper portion of the plumage ; and the whole 
 of the underparts, from chin to vent, are pure 
 white. 
 
 Note the form of the bill in this bird. It 
 curves slightly upwards, as in the Godwits, and 
 in this respect connects these birds with the 
 Totani. 
 
 BAR-TAILED GODWIT (Limosa rufa). Entire length, 
 15 inches ; bill, 3*25 ; wing, 8*5 ; tarsus, 1*75 ; 
 bare part of tibia, *75. General colour, in summer, 
 dorsal plumage, mottled with black and chestnut ; 
 wings, black, with white quills ; rump, white ; tail, 
 barred. Underparts, from chin to vent, uniform 
 chestnut. In winter, the dorsal plumage is mottled 
 with two shades of brown ; neck and throat, dusky ; 
 breast and belly, white. Bill, horn-colour ; base of 
 under mandible, flesh-coloured. Legs and toes, 
 black. Birds of the year somewhat resemble the 
 
DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERS. 39 
 
 adult in winter plumage, but have a tinge of buff- 
 colour on the breast and flanks. 
 
 Note. Young birds, whose parents have a distinct 
 summer and winter plumage, exhibit an intermediate 
 phase of colouring the first year. 
 
 BLACK-TAILED GODWIT (Limosamelanura). Entire 
 length, 16 inches; bill, 3*5; wing, 8; tarsus, 3; 
 bare part of tibia, 1*75. General colour, in summer, 
 head, neck and breast, rufous. Chin, belly and 
 rump, white ; dorsal plumage, brown of various 
 shades ; primaries, black, with white shafts ; tail, 
 black. Bill, pinkish-brown ; tip, horn-colour. Legs 
 and toes, dark slate- colour. In winter, all the 
 rufous colouring disappears. The dorsal plumage 
 becomes greyer, the underparts whiter. 
 
 Note. This bird may readily be distinguished from 
 the last named by its superior length of leg and black 
 tail. Moreover, the rufous colouring on the under- 
 parts does not extend to the belly, as is the case 
 with the other. 
 
 AVOCET (Recurvirostra avocetta). Entire length, 
 16 inches ; bill, 3*25 ; wing, 8*5 ; tarsus, 3 ; bare 
 part of tibia, 1*8. General colour, black and white. 
 Crown, nape, scapulars, wing-coverts and primaries, 
 
40 DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERS. 
 
 black ; the rest of the plumage, white. Bill, black, 
 flattened vertically, attenuated towards the tip, and 
 curved considerably upwards. Legs and toes, pale 
 blue. 
 
 BLACK- WINGED STILT (Hiinantopus melanopterus) . 
 Entire length, 13 inches ; bill, 2*5 ; wing, 9 ; tarsus, 
 4-75 ; bare part of tibia, 3'3. General colour, black 
 and white. Nape, back and wings, black ; the rest 
 of the plumage, white. Bill, black. Legs and toes, 
 pink. 
 
 Note. The rarest of all the British shore birds. 
 
 EUFF and KEEVE (Machetes pugnax). Entire 
 length, male, 12 inches female, 9 in. ; bill, 1-25 ; 
 wing, male, 7*25 female, 6 ; tarsus, 1*5. 
 
 The colour of this species varies so much in 
 individuals, that it is impossible to describe it in a 
 few words. In summer, the males have the dorsal 
 plumage of all shades of brown, buff, chestnut and 
 purple ; on the neck a large ruff or frill (hence the 
 bird's name), of a different colour to the back. 
 Sometimes this frill is of a uniform colour, as 
 chestnut, purplish-black, or white ; sometimes it is 
 variegated. It is only assumed during the breeding 
 season, and has entirely disappeared before the 
 
DISTINGUISHING CHARACTEKS. 41 
 
 shooting season has commenced. In the autumn 
 and winter, the plumage resembles that of the 
 Godwits at the same season ; but its smaller size, 
 short and straight bill, and dark rump will always 
 distinguish it. The female, or Eeeve, never assumes 
 the frill, but retains much the same colours 
 throughout the year, except that they are much 
 more intense in summer. The colour of the legs 
 and toes varies very much. As a rule, they are 
 lemon-colour or orange. But occasionally one sees 
 a bird with pale green or grey legs. 
 
 DUNLIN (Trinc/a variabilis). Entire length, 8 in.; 
 bill, male, 1-3 female, 1-5; wing, 4'5; tarsus, 1. 
 General colour, in summer, head, back and wing- 
 coverts mottled with various shades of brown, black 
 and rufous ; on the belly, a patch of black. In 
 winter, the dorsal plumage is, more or less, light 
 brown or grey; the whole of the underparts, pure 
 white. Young birds, in autumn, have the breast 
 and flanks spotted with black. Bill, legs and toes, 
 at all seasons, black. 
 
 CURLEW SANDPIPER (Tringa sularquata). Entire 
 length, 8*25 inches ; bill, 1*5 ; wing, 5 ; tarsus, 
 1*2. General colour, in summer, chestnut, variegated 
 
42 DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERS. 
 
 above with black, below with white. Bill, black ; 
 slightly curved downwards, like that of a Curlew. 
 Legs and toes, black. In winter, the general colour 
 above is brown and buff; the rump, white; under- 
 parts, pure white. Young birds, in autumn, have a 
 tinge of buff on the breast, as remarked in the case 
 of the God wits. 
 
 KNOT (Tringa canutus). Entire length, 10 in.; 
 bill, 1*2; wing, 6*5; tarsus, 1*1. 
 
 General colour, in summer and winter, like the 
 Curlew Sandpiper and Godwits at the same seasons, 
 except that the rump is variegated, and not white. 
 In summer, the legs and toes are olive, the soles 
 of the feet yellow ; in winter they are entirely black. 
 
 LITTLE STINT (Tringa minuta.) Entire length, 
 6 inches; bill, '8; wing, 3'75 ; tarsus, *9. Kesem- 
 bles a miniature Dunlin, except that there is never 
 any black on the underparts. In summer, the neck 
 and breast are spotted with rufous, and the dorsal 
 plumage has a large admixture of the same colour. 
 In winter, the spots on the neck and breast disap- 
 pear, and the dorsal plumage becomes considerably 
 lighter in colour. Bill, legs, and toes at all seasons 
 black. 
 
DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERS. 43 
 
 TEMMINCK'S STINT (Tringa Temminckii) t Entire 
 length, 5*75 ; bill, *6 ; wing, 3*75 ; tarsus, *6. Ee- 
 sembles a miniature Common Sandpiper, and may be 
 distinguished from the Little Stint by its shorter 
 and more slender bill ; shorter legs (which are grey- 
 ish-green instead of black), by its white outer tail- 
 feathers, and by having the shaft of the first pri- 
 mary only white, whereas in the Little Stint all the 
 shafts are white. 
 
 PURPLE SANDPIPER (Tringa maritima). Entire 
 length, 8*50; bill, 1*4; wing, 5*3; tarsus, 1. The 
 dorsal plumage is purple only in winter. In summer 
 it is variegated with black, brown, and buff, the 
 breast at the same season being spotted. The legg 
 and toes at all seasons are of a yellowish clay colour. 
 
 Note. The colour of the legs (which are very 
 short) will distinguish the bird at all times from any 
 of its congeners. 
 
 GREY PHALAROPE (Phalaropusfulicariiis). Entire 
 length, 8 inches ; bill, 1 ; wing, 5 ; tarsus, '8. 
 General colour in summer brown, white, and rufous 
 above ; from chin to vent, chestnut. In winter, grey 
 and white above ; the underparts pure white. Bill 
 very flat. Feet lobed like a Coot. 
 
44 DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERS. 
 
 Note. This bird is seldom or never met with in 
 the British Islands in its summer dress. It 
 visits us regularly in autumn (September and 
 October), by which time it has acquired its winter 
 plumage. 
 
 RED-NECKED PHALAROPE (Phalaropus hyperboreus). 
 Entire length, 7 inches; bill, *8 ; wing, 4'5 ; 
 tarsus, -8. General colour in summer, black and 
 grey above ; on the throat and neck a bright patch 
 of chestnut, underparts pure white. In winter, the 
 rufous colour on the neck disappears, the dorsal 
 plumage becomes much lighter, and the whole of 
 the underparts, from chin to vent, are pure white. 
 The bill is much more slender and pointed than 
 in the Grey Phalarope. The feet are similarly lobed. 
 
 Note. This little bird nests regularly in Scotland 
 and the Hebrides, and visits us in autumn on its 
 way southwards. 
 
 It will be observed that the Snipes have been 
 omitted from the foregoing list. They have not 
 been included because it so rarely happens that one 
 meets with a true Snipe on the coast, and because 
 these birds must be too well known to require any 
 description. 
 
DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERS. 45 
 
 In some harbours on the coast where there is a 
 good deal of weed exposed on the mud at low water, 
 we have sometimes met with a Common Snipe in 
 such situations a long way from the shore, but such 
 instances have been rare, and we imagine that 
 Snipe as a rule will always prefer fresh water to 
 salt. 
 
 Woodcocks are much more frequently to be met 
 with on the coast, but this is generally after their 
 first arrival, when they alight to rest, or just before 
 their departure in the spring. 
 
 Many observers in different parts of the country 
 have witnessed the arrival of Woodcocks in flocks, 
 but we are not aware that these birds have ever been 
 seen to leave the country in flocks. Apparently 
 they do not congregate in the spring, but leave our 
 shores singly or in pairs as opportunity and weather 
 may permit. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 REMINISCENCES. 
 
 ABOUT the end of July, or beginning of August, 
 great numbers of shore birds come into our har- 
 bours, and find their way from the mouths of the 
 rivers to a considerable distance inland. Grey 
 Plovers, Godwits, Knots, Whimbrel, Greenshanks, 
 Redshanks, Dunlin, and many other " waders/.' 
 continue to arrive until the end of August, and the 
 shores and mud-flats which were so deserted during 
 the summer while the birds were away nesting, now 
 present a most animated appearance. Flocks of 
 various species, and of various sizes and colours, 
 from the tiny brown Stint (Tringa minuta) to the 
 great grey Heron, are scattered over the ground in 
 all directions ; now feeding busily as they follow the 
 receding tide, now flying with noisy call to some 
 more attractive spot. As we look down upon them 
 
THE MUD-FLATS IN AUTUMN, 47 
 
 from the sea-wall, they appear to be all much of the 
 same colour, and are difficult to distinguish upon 
 the brown mud over which they are running. See 
 them in the air with upturned wings, and what 
 a different appearance they present. As the sun 
 strikes upon the pure white of the underparts borne 
 swiftly onwards by rapid wings, the eye is almost 
 dazzled at the bright contrast. Individuals are soon 
 lost to sight as they fly closer together, and the 
 entire flock, gradually lengthening out, sweep across 
 the harbour like a long wave, now light, now dark, 
 as the under or upper portions of the plumage are 
 presented to view. Naturalists who visit the sea- 
 side at the period of migration to which we have 
 alluded, cannot fail to admire the wonderful and 
 graceful evolutions which these birds perform upon 
 the wing; whilst those who reside upon the coast 
 throughout the year must hail with satisfaction the 
 arrival of these feathered strangers, whose presence 
 adds so much to the beauty of the scenery, and 
 relieves, to such an extent, the monotony of sea and 
 sky. 
 
 The greater portion of the flocks which visit us 
 in autumn consists of young birds which are on 
 
48 BIRDS MIGRATING. 
 
 their way southwards for the winter. The old birds 
 are seen on their way to the north in May, and after 
 an absence of six or eight weeks they return with 
 their young as soon as the latter are able to fly. 
 The majority of our shore birds annually perform 
 this double migration ; but there are many species 
 which remain in limited numbers to nest in this 
 country. Amongst these are the Golden Plover, the 
 Kinged Plover, the Oyster-catcher, the Common 
 Sandpiper, the Dunlin, and the Curlew. 
 
 The Ringed Plover and the Oyster-catcher remain 
 near the shore, and lay their eggs upon the sand or 
 shingle, as the case may be. The Common Sand- 
 piper betakes itself to the north country burnsides, 
 and generally makes its nest at no great distance 
 from the water ; while the Golden Plover, Dunlin, 
 and Curlew go on to the moors and peat-bogs, and 
 bring up their young in the wildest and most unfre- 
 quented spots. 
 
 When walking over the moors in May we have 
 repeatedly startled a Curlew from amongst the tall 
 heather, and have satisfied ourselves on these, as on 
 other occasions, that this wary bird depends more 
 upon the sense of sight than hearing to save itself 
 
"LAYING UP" FOB CURLEWS. 49 
 
 from its enemies. Ever suspicious, ever on the 
 alert, it is a most difficult bird to stalk unless some 
 good cover intervenes to screen your approach. 
 Now and then upon the coast you may steal a march 
 upon a flock under shelter of a sea-wall ; but, as a 
 rule, they keep too far out from the shore to be 
 within reach of a gun from the wall. We have 
 found it a good plan to "lay up" at a spot in the 
 usual line of flight about an hour before high water. 
 As soon as the mud is covered, they leave the har- 
 bour, calling loudly at intervals to one another as 
 they fly, and by imitating their call, while lying con- 
 cealed, we have repeatedly brought a Curlew over- 
 head and within shot. Another plan is to go down 
 the harbour in a gunning-punt, with an ordinary 
 double-gun, at low water, and work along the 
 numerous channels which intersect the great mud- 
 flats. In this way you can often get, unperceived, 
 within shot of a flock of birds, and secure even the 
 wary Curlew. 
 
 On one occasion we were lying in a punt in "a 
 drain " (as the small channels in the Sussex har- 
 bours are called), a little below a point where another 
 " drain " intersected it almost at right angles. In 
 
 E 
 
50 KEEN SIGHT OF THE CURLEW. 
 
 the latter we had marked down two Curlews when 
 several hundred yards off, and observed that they 
 were feeding towards the junction of the two 
 " drains." It is always a piece of luck, if birds 
 feed towards you after you have got as near to them 
 as you can without alarming them. And this was 
 the case in the present instance. The Curlews 
 waded up the side of the drain, which was much 
 shallower than the one we were lying in, and in 
 about ten minutes one of them stepped out upon 
 the flat within twenty yards of the punt, and for a 
 moment seemed perfectly scared. We at once 
 cocked the gun and sat up ; with a weird scream 
 the bird took wing, and in another second fell dead 
 upon the mud. His companion, rising out of the 
 drain some yards further off, was only winged, and 
 led us a rare chase over the ooze before he was 
 secured. This incident shows that the Curlew de- 
 pends for safety upon his keen sight, and not upon 
 his power of scent ; otherwise the bird in question 
 would never have walked within a few yards of the 
 punt, which he could not see until he had stepped 
 upon the bank. 
 
 In the " Zoologist," for 1856, Mr. W. H. Power 
 
METHOD OF DECOYING. 51 
 
 has given an account of the way in which the fisher- 
 men at Rainham, in Kent, decoy Curlews within 
 shot. They train a red-coloured dog (as much like 
 a fox as possible) to prowl about and attract the 
 attention of the birds while the gunner lies hidden 
 in a dyke. As soon as- the birds chase the dog, 
 which they frequently will do, he draws gradually 
 towards his master, until a shot is obtained. Some- 
 times two or three Curlews are killed at a time in 
 this way ; but the plan is said not to answer with a 
 large flock. We can confirm its success, however, 
 with a single bird, for we once killed a Heron 
 which we should probably never have got near, 
 had not a red setter attracted his attention, and 
 on being whistled to, brought up the bird within 
 shot. 
 
 Those who have had much experience in shore 
 shooting must have remarked how much Curlews 
 differ from one another in size. Whether this 
 difference is dependent upon age or sex is a point 
 still discussed by naturalists. We have hitherto 
 been inclined to believe that the variation is owing 
 to age ; but as this conclusion has been drawn 
 chiefly from external appearances, and in a few in- 
 
 E 2 
 
52 LOUD NOTE OF THE CURLEW. 
 
 stances only from actual dissection (for we generally 
 eat all the Curlews we get) ; and as in the case of 
 other waders for example, the Bar-tailed Godwit 
 the female has proved to be invariably much larger 
 than the male, it is possible that the same rule may 
 hold good with the Curlew. 
 
 The note of the Curlew is by far the loudest 
 uttered by any of our grallatorial birds. That ob- 
 servant naturalist William Thompson says, in his 
 "Natural History of Ireland" (Birds, vol. ii. p. 195) : 
 " It will perhaps be scarcely credited that it can be 
 heard at the distance of nearly three English miles ; 
 yet under peculiar circumstances such is the case. 
 I have heard it so on calm moonlight nights when 
 at the extremity of the bay at Holy wood Warren, 
 awaiting the flight of these birds from Harrison's 
 Bay and Cons water, whence the flowing tide would 
 drive them from particular banks respectively two 
 and three miles distant from any station. The call 
 from the first-named locality sounded quite near, 
 and from the latter distinct, though much more 
 faintly ; the state of the tide at the time evincing 
 with certainty that all the . banks, except the two 
 alluded to, were covered too deeply with water for the 
 
SHOOTING- FOB THE POT. 53 
 
 birds to be on them. Shore shooters are well aware 
 of this circumstance. " 
 
 Besides its usual cry of " Cou-r-lieu, cour-lieu," 
 there is another which sounds like " wha-up ; " from 
 which latter cry the bird in Scotland has derived 
 the name of " Whaup ; " and in the spring of the 
 year, when pairing, a softer note is frequently heard, 
 which sounds like " whee-ou, whee-ou." 
 
 At one time this bird was a favourite dish with 
 wealthy gourmands* but is now apparently quite 
 out of fashion, except with a few knowing ones at 
 the seaside, and those sportsmen who have proved 
 by experience how good a bird it is when roasted. 
 
 The food of the Curlew is very miscellaneous, 
 consisting of all sorts of marine mollusca and 
 Crustacea, worms, small fish, and vegetable matter, 
 invariably accompanied with a quantity of sand or 
 small particles of grit. The bird is especially fond of 
 crabs, and we have sometimes killed a Curlew so 
 gorged with crabs and shrimps as to be offensive to 
 the smell and not agreeable as food. 
 
 * In the Lord North accounts appears the following item : 
 
 ' ' Kyrlewes to be hadde for my Lordes owne Mees at pryncipall 
 
 Feestes, and to be at xijd. a pece." Similar items are to be found 
 
 also in the L'Estrange " Household Book." 
 
54 EXCITEMENT OF STALKING. 
 
 Those who are familiar with the works of Pro- 
 fessor Wilson must remember his admirable descrip- 
 tion of the feelings which he experienced when 
 stalking a Curlew.* "At first sight of his long 
 bill aloft above the rushes, we could hear our heart 
 beating quick time in the desert ; at the turning of 
 his neck, the body being yet still, our heart ceased 
 to beat altogether and we grew sick with hope 
 when near enough to see the wild beauty of his 
 eye. Unfolded, like a thought, was then the brown 
 silence of the shy creature's ample wings, and with 
 a warning cry he wheeled away upon the wind, un- 
 harmed by our ineffectual hail, seen falling far short 
 of the deceptive distance, while his mate, that had 
 lain crouched perhaps in her nest of eggs or young, 
 exposed yet hidden within killing range, half run- 
 ning, half flying, flapped herself into flight, simulat- 
 ing lame leg and wounded wing ; and the two dis- 
 appearing together behind the hills, left us in our 
 vain reason, thwarted by instinct, to resume with 
 live hopes, rising out of the ashes of the dead, our 
 daily disappointed quest over the houseless mosses. 
 Yet now and then to our steady aim the bill of the 
 
 * " Recreations of Christopher North." 
 
PLOVEB HAUNTS. 55 
 
 ' Whaup ' disgorged blood, and as we felt the 
 feathers in our hand, and from tip to tip felt the 
 outstretched wings, fortune, we felt, had no better 
 boon to bestow, earth no greater triumph." Who 
 has not at one time or other experienced feelings 
 such as these, and lacked the power of words to 
 describe them ? 
 
 During the winter months, Golden Plovers jnay 
 often be found consorting with Peewits and Field- 
 fares, and feeding on the same diet; but indepen- 
 dently of their size, they may always be distin- 
 guished when on the ground at a distance by their 
 peculiar motion, running with short quick steps 
 and stopping abruptly ; now and then dipping down 
 the head to seize a worm, and elevating the tail con- 
 siderably. 
 
 In enclosed districts they are generally to be 
 found on the fallows, where they devour large quan- 
 tities of earthworms ; but they are particularly 
 partial to flooded meadows and the soft ooze of 
 our tidal harbours. In the meadows they find 
 abundance of insect and vegetable food ; on the 
 ooze their diet consists chiefly of small mollusca 
 of various kinds and the fry of the common mussel. 
 
56 SHOOTING GOLDEN PLOVER. 
 
 At the approach of rain the flocks become very 
 restless, wheeling about to and fro, and constantly 
 shifting their ground. On this account it is said 
 that the specific name of pluvialis has been applied 
 to the bird ; and, in some parts of the country, 
 where it is common, persons profess to foretell the 
 weather by watching the movements of the flocks. 
 So long as the weather remains fine and open, these 
 birds are uncommonly wary; but a dull rainy day 
 seems to take away all their energy, and they sit 
 huddled together, with their heads drawn in between 
 their shoulders, looking, at a little distance, more 
 like inanimate clods of earth than birds. As on 
 these occasions they are more easily approached, 
 the most successful shots we ever made at Golden 
 Plover were always obtained on a wet day ; and it 
 would seem, therefore, as if there were good reason 
 for the saying that the bird is called pluvier in 
 France : " Parce-qu'on le prend mieux en temps 
 pluvieux qu'en nulle autre saison." 
 
 " There is, in shooting Plover, a common remark 
 made by sportsmen, that the second is always the 
 most productive barrel. The rapidity with which 
 they vary their position when on the ground seldom 
 
ANECDOTE. 57 
 
 admits of a grand combination for a sitting, or 
 rather a running, shot. But, when on the wing, 
 their mode of flight is most favourable for permitting 
 the shot to tell ; and it is by no means unusual to 
 bring down a number. When disturbed, they fre- 
 quently wheel back directly above the fowler, and 
 offer a tempting mark, if he should have a barrel in 
 reserve. And even when too high for the shot to 
 take effect, I have often thrown away a random fire ; 
 for the Plover, on hearing the report, directly make 
 a sweep downwards on the wing ; and I have, by 
 this means, brought them within range of the 
 second barrel."* 
 
 Thompson, in referring to this singular habit of 
 the Golden Plover, t gives an amusing anecdote on 
 the subject, as related to him by a friend. 
 
 "In the winter of 1847, I went to some boggy 
 meadows in the neighbourhood of Belfast, for the 
 purpose of shooting Golden Plover, and took with 
 me a young lad who had never before been on such 
 an expedition. When returning home, a flock, 
 consisting of about fifty, of these birds flew over- 
 
 * " Wild Sports of the West," p. 292. 
 
 f "Nat. Hist, of Ireland," Birds, ii. p. 88. 
 
58 SUMMER HAUNTS. 
 
 head, beyond reach of the shot ; but, as I despaired 
 of getting nearer to them, I fired at the flock, on 
 which they instantly swept down, almost perpen- 
 dicularly, within three or four yards of the ground. 
 My companion ran forward, in the greatest delight, 
 to pick up, as he expected, the entire flock; when, 
 to his utter amazement, they all resumed their 
 former mode of flight, and quickly disappeared in 
 the distance." 
 
 Towards the end of March, or beginning of April, 
 the large flocks break up ; and smaller parties may 
 be observed moving northwards again, towards their 
 breeding haunts. About this time, sundry black 
 feathers make their appearance on the throat and 
 breast, giving indications of that remarkable change 
 from winter to summer plumage, when the under 
 parts, from being pure white, become jet-black. 
 
 We shall not easily forget the first occasion on 
 which we met with the Golden Plover in summer 
 plumage. 
 
 Walking, in the middle of May, over a wild moor 
 in Northumberland, where the eye rested on nothing 
 but heather and sky, we were watching the circling 
 flight of a Curlew, and wondering whether we could 
 
ON THE MOOES. 59 
 
 find the nest. Suddenly, we were almost startled 
 by a soft clear whistle, which sounded so close at 
 hand, that we turned round, expecting to find a 
 follower who might have some message to deliver. 
 Nothing was to be seen ; and while we gazed and 
 wondered, again it sounded clear and plaintive, 
 bringing to mind those lines of Walter Scott, in 
 the " Lady of the Lake": 
 
 " And in the Plover's shrilly strain, 
 The signal whistle's heard again." 
 
 There was something very ventriloquial in the 
 sound ; and it was a long time before we were able 
 to determine the exact direction whence it proceeded. 
 
 At length, having decided this, and concluding 
 that it must be a Golden Plover, although the note 
 differed from the well-known call which we had so 
 often heard in winter, we went down on hands and 
 knees and crawled stealthily towards the spot where 
 we supposed the bird to be, stopping, now and then, 
 to listen for the guiding call. 
 
 So fully convinced were we that the bird was at 
 least a hundred yards ahead, that it was with con- 
 siderable surprise we came upon it before we had 
 accomplished half that distance. 
 
60 ON THE MOORS. 
 
 We can conceive few emotions more pleasurable 
 than that which sways the mind of a naturalist 
 when looking upon a species which is new to him ; 
 and we shall never forget the delight which we 
 experienced on that occasion, when, peering through 
 the heather, we saw, for the first time, within ten 
 yards of us, a black-breasted Golden Plover. Al- 
 though so many years ago, we can still recall every 
 attitude of the bird as we first saw it. The uplifted 
 wing and short quick run, as if for a meditated 
 flight ; and then the sudden repose and motionless 
 attitude, on finding that no danger threatened. We 
 watched it till our eyes swam, when another came 
 in view, announcing its presence by a soft whistle, 
 exactly similar to that we had heard before. 
 
 Our curiosity satisfied, we rose to our feet, and 
 both birds took wing. Soon we saw a third, and a 
 fourth ; and, picking up the almost forgotten gun, 
 began to think of securing one or two specimens for 
 closer examination. This we had no difficulty in 
 doing, for the birds were by no means w r ild. We 
 concluded from their actions, and from the early 
 date, that they had not yet commenced to nest ; and 
 this conclusion was strengthened by the fact that 
 
NEST OF THE GOLDEN PLOVER. 61 
 
 we searched a large tract of ground for more than 
 three hours without finding any eggs. 
 
 The two specimens which we carried home had 
 not quite assumed their full summer dress, there 
 heing still a few white feathers cropping out upon 
 the breast and belly. The stomachs of both con- 
 tained a number of little shining beetles, and a few 
 small univalves, of which we could not then deter- 
 mine the species. 
 
 Had we remained later on the moor referred to, 
 we should, in all probability, have been rewarded by 
 finding the eggs, since we have been assured that 
 the Golden Plover breeds there annually. The 
 nest is a very slight affair, not unlike that of the 
 Peewit ; and the eggs, also, are very similar to the 
 Peewit's eggs, although larger and more richly 
 coloured. 
 
 The young, when first hatched, are remarkably 
 pretty little things, being powdered over, as it were, 
 with golden yellow, upon a brown and grey ground- 
 colour. They run as soon as they leave the shell, 
 and fly well by the end of July. The family parties 
 then unite in August, and begin to form those dense 
 flocks to which we have already referred, and which 
 
62 HAUNTS OF THE PEEWIT. 
 
 are looked for, in winter, with such eagerness by 
 sportsmen in the south. 
 
 The Peewit may be considered a resident species, 
 for it may be found in some part or other of the 
 country all the year round. There is no doubt that 
 great numbers move southwards at the approach 
 of winter ; and the birds which we notice in the 
 southern counties in the fall of the year, are pro- 
 bably visitors from more northern localities. 
 
 In many parts of the country we have remarked 
 that the same ground is annually resorted to by 
 Peewits for the purpose of nesting ; and hence we 
 may conclude that the same birds return year by 
 year, impelled by curious instinct, to the very spot 
 where they have formerly reared their young. They 
 pair towards the end of March, and early in April 
 collect straws and dry grass, and form a slight nest 
 in a depression of the ground. When the full com- 
 plement of eggs is laid, each nest contains four, and 
 the harvest time for poulterers and game-dealers 
 commences about the middle of April. When the 
 locality which the birds have selected has been dis- 
 covered, dozens of eggs may be picked up on a few 
 acres, for Peewits are gregarious in their habits, 
 
PLOVER'S EGGS. 63 
 
 and the nests are frequently only a few yards apart. 
 The eggs, which are considerably pointed at the 
 smaller end, seldom vary much in colour, being 
 olive-brown, spotted and splashed towards the larger 
 end with black or dark umber. We have once or 
 twice taken eggs of this species which were of a 
 pale stone-colour, with small black spots at the 
 larger end. These strikingly resemble very large 
 eggs of the Einged Plover (Charadrius hiaticula), 
 and afford an illustration of the fact that some birds, 
 while usually laying eggs peculiar in colour to their 
 own species, occasionally lay eggs which resemble 
 those of other species in the same family. We have 
 noticed this in many cases. 
 
 The young Peewits are very active as soon as 
 they are hatched; and as they leave the nest at the 
 approach of an enemy and cower down close to the 
 ground, the mottled brown colour of their backs 
 renders it very difficult to catch sight of them in 
 this position. In this way, no doubt, they often 
 escape destruction. 
 
 The food of the Peewit is, to a great extent, 
 insectivorous. The stomachs of a great many of 
 these birds, which we have shot and examined on 
 
64 FOOD OF THE PEEWIT. 
 
 grass-land upon a clay soil, were filled with different 
 species of small Coleoptera, and minute particles of 
 grit, while others, which we procured on down-land 
 upon a chalk soil, contained fragments of two Mol- 
 lusca which are extremely common in such situations, 
 Helix virgata and Helix caperata. It is the Helix 
 caperata, by the way, which, being taken up with 
 grass by sheep, is said to impart the excellent 
 flavour to the South-down mutton. Judging by the 
 condition of the Peewits which had fed upon this 
 mollusk, we should say that its properties are very 
 fattening. 
 
 When the birds get down to the shore, they lose 
 their flavour, and are then not nearly so good for the 
 table. We have noticed this in the case of the 
 Curlew, Golden Plover, Grey Plover, Eedshank, 
 and many others, besides the Lapwing. The reason 
 of this, no doubt, is the change in their diet. On 
 the shore they get sand-hoppers, shrimps, and other 
 small Crustacea, which impart more or less a marine 
 and disagreeable flavour. 
 
 As the name " Peewit " has been given to the bird 
 from its peculiar note, so has the name " Lapwing " 
 reference to its characteristic flight. 
 
PROVINCIAL NAMES. 65 
 
 Those who live in the country must have noticed 
 how appropriately both these names have been 
 applied. In some places the bird is known as the 
 " Green Plover " in spring, and the " Black Plover " 
 in winter. At the approach of the nesting season 
 the back and scapulars become of a dark but bright 
 metallic-green colour. In the winter this colour 
 becomes darker and duller, until at a little distance 
 it looks almost black. 
 
 On most parts of the coast the Heron may be 
 seen at low water, fishing in the little pools which 
 have been left by the receding tide ; here he finds 
 crabs, shrimps, and other delicacies ; but instead of 
 being sociable, like the Gulls and Kedshanks, and 
 inviting a friend to join him at dinner, he goes to 
 his own particular pool, like an old gourmand to 
 his club, and keeps the best of everything to him- 
 self. 
 
 We have watched him on the rocky weed-covered 
 shore of Northumberland, on the shining sands of 
 Lancashire, and on the dreary mud-flats of the 
 Sussex harbours, and have found him always the 
 same ; shy and suspicious, even where seldom dis- 
 turbed, he seems to have a wonderful eye to danger, 
 
 F 
 
66 HAUNTS OF THE HERON. 
 
 and, we almost believe, can distinguish a gun from a 
 stick or an umbrella. 
 
 Now and then, upon a rocky coast, we have stalked 
 him under cover of a friendly boulder, and while 
 our heart beat loud with the rapid exertion and 
 excitement, we have shot him just as he had detected 
 our head above the rock. And what a triumph we 
 have felt in standing over his prostrate form, and 
 smoothing his expansive wings, feeling in that mo- 
 ment a sufficient reward for having crawled, on hands 
 and knees, perhaps three hundred yards of trea- 
 cherous ground, slipping over sea-weed, and through 
 salt-water pools. But it was never thus on the 
 mud-flats ; there no friendly barrier intervened to 
 screen our approach, and we could only advance 
 near enough to be just out of shot, when the large 
 wings were unfolded, and we were left to stand and 
 gaze wistfully after the coveted prize. Now and 
 then at early dawn, we have come suddenly upon a 
 Heron while busily employed under the steep bank 
 of a brook, and have thus been enabled to knock 
 him down with Snipe shot before he could get out 
 of range. It was ludicrous to observe the surprise 
 of the bird when he first became aware of our 
 
STALKING A HERON. 67 
 
 presence, and with a hoarse croak clumsily endea- 
 voured to get away. On one occasion, accompanied 
 by a red setter, we were stalking a Heron, when 
 the dog, over-anxious, ran forward and attracted the 
 attention of the bird, which immediately took wing ; 
 instead of flying away, however, he hovered over 
 the dog, looking down at him like a hawk. We 
 crouched down and gave a low whistle, and the 
 dog coming back, actually brought up the Heron 
 within shot, when we fired and killed him. The 
 bird seemed to follow every movement of the dog, 
 and was so intently eyeing him, that he never saw 
 us until the gun was raised; he then turned at once 
 to make off, but too late. 
 
 On the coast, the Heron feeds at low water during 
 the day, and in unfrequented marshes he may also 
 be caught fishing in broad daylight ; but when 
 compelled to get his living at reservoirs, ponds, 
 and rivers, which are oftener visited by his enemy, 
 man, he prefers to come just before daybreak or 
 after dusk. In autumn, when the brooks run dry, 
 we have frequently noticed the impressions of his 
 long toes, visible for miles on the soft mud, showing 
 the great extent of ground traversed in his patient 
 
 F 2 
 
68 THE HERON'S BILL OF FARE. 
 
 search for food. Fish, frogs, mussels, and even 
 water-rats, are all included in the Heron's bill of 
 fare. He will take young water-fowl, too, from the 
 nest, and after pinching them all over in his for- 
 midable bill, and holding them under water till they 
 have become well saturated, he throws up his head, 
 opens his mandibles, and the " Poule d'eau souche " 
 disappears. 
 
 Some years ago we paid a visit, in the month of 
 May, to a certain reservoir in Yorkshire, where the 
 Pochard (Anas ferina) was known to have bred, 
 our object being to ascertain whether this duck was 
 then nesting there, and to learn what other fowl 
 were on the water. We might say a good deal of 
 that pleasant excursion, but must confine our at- 
 tention for the present to the Heron. At one end 
 of the reservoir is, or was, a thick bed of willows, 
 extending out some distance from the shore. The 
 water at this spot is shallow, with a muddy bottom. 
 Coots and Moorhens were numerous and noisy, 
 swimming about amongst the willows, and collecting 
 materials for their nests. "We lay upon the grass 
 at the edge of the water, peering quietly through 
 the willows, and learnt a good deal of the private 
 
THE HERON'S POOL. 69 
 
 life of these water-fowl. While we were gazing, 
 a Heron, which must have flown unnoticed up the 
 water, dropped suddenly in the shallow, within 
 twenty yards of our ambush. Here was an oppor- 
 tunity for observation : scarcely venturing to breathe, 
 we watched with interest every motion of the great 
 grey bird. His long black crest and pendent breast 
 feathers showed him to be fully adult, and we 
 thought at the time we had seldom seen a Heron 
 in finer plumage. With head and neck erect, he 
 took a cautious glance all round, as if to satisfy 
 himself that he was unobserved, and apparently 
 assured, he then looked down at the water; for 
 some minutes he never altered his position, till at 
 length, bending slowly and gracefully forward, he 
 suddenly struck the water with his bill, and re- 
 covered a small fish. A pinch, a toss of the head, 
 and it had disappeared down his throat. He then 
 drew himself together with apparent satisfaction, 
 wiped his bill upon his long breast plumes, and, 
 slightly altering his position, prepared, as an angler 
 would say, to make another " cast." At this mo- 
 ment, we incautiously moved a little to one side to 
 avoid a willow bough and obtain a better view, when 
 
70 HERONRIES. 
 
 his quick eye instantly detected the movement, and 
 in another second he was flying down the water in 
 the direction whence he had come. 
 
 There are few sights more gratifying to a natu- 
 ralist than a heronry. We have had the privilege of 
 visiting three : one at Walton Hall, Yorkshire, the 
 seat of the late Charles Waterton ; one at Milton, 
 near Peterborough, belonging to the Hon. George 
 Fitz william ; and one at Wanstead, the property of 
 Lord Cowley. Did space permit, we might give a 
 detailed and interesting account of all we saw on 
 these occasions, but we can do no more than offer a 
 few brief remarks on the general appearance and 
 situation of the heronry last named. 
 
 The date of our visit was the 5th of April, and 
 the birds were then sitting on their eggs. The 
 Heron is one of the few waders which resort to a 
 tree for the purpose of nidification, and a stranger 
 sight than a number of these great birds, perched at 
 the top of a lofty elm, can scarcely be imagined. 
 Twenty years ago, the Herons at Wanstead Park 
 tenanted some trees at a different spot to that which 
 they now frequent. At present they occupy some 
 tall elms upon an island in the largest piece of water 
 
THE HEEONRY AT WANSTEAD. 71 
 
 in the park. The keeper informed us that there 
 were about thirty pairs. We proceeded to the boat- 
 house, and after baling out the boat, which was 
 nearly full of water, steered for the Herons' island. 
 A good glass enabled us to see the birds very clearly, 
 and most of them were in splendid plumage. The 
 nests were placed at the very tops of the trees, and 
 many of them were occupied by a sitting bird. 
 
 Here and there a Heron stood erect upon a 
 bough, with head and neck drawn in, looking for 
 all the world like a cold sentinel, with his bayonet 
 between his teeth, and his hands in his trousers' 
 pockets. As we approached the island several loud 
 croaks were heard, and the sentinels took wing, 
 the sitting birds being the last to leave. Taking it 
 for granted that the bird which sat the longest was 
 the most likely to have eggs, we selected a tree from 
 which a Heron flew as we reached it. 
 
 It was a wych-elm about forty feet high, and the 
 nest was placed amongst the topmost branches. 
 After a fatiguing climb, owing to the absence of 
 boughs for a considerable distance, we reached the 
 top, and paused to rest before looking into the nest. 
 And now was the anxious moment. Were our 
 
72 TAKING THE EGGS. 
 
 exertions in vain? Was the nest empty, or were 
 we to be rewarded with the sight of eggs? The 
 nest was large enough to sit in, composed externally 
 of large twigs, chiefly elm and willow, and lined 
 with smaller twigs, fibre and dry grass. It over- 
 hung our head to some extent, so that we were 
 obliged to pull away a portion of the side before 
 we could see into it, when, to our delight, four 
 beautiful eggs were displayed, their bright bluish- 
 green colour contrasting well with the dark fibre on 
 which they were laid. 
 
 The wind blew in gusts, and it was no easy 
 matter to get them down safely ; but at length we 
 succeeded in getting them into our handkerchief, 
 and holding the ends together in our mouth, brought 
 them down without a crack. They were consider- 
 ably incubated, showing that they had probably 
 been laid about the end of the third week in March. 
 The Heron, indeed, is one of the earliest birds to 
 breed. The young, when first hatched, present a 
 very remarkable appearance, and are fed by their 
 parents for a long time before they can shift for 
 themselves. 
 
 A friend once kept a Heron on his lawn, and a 
 
ANECDOTE. 73 
 
 very amusing bird he was. When first captured, 
 he was very sulky, and refused all food. Fearing 
 he would starve, the owner forced some fish down 
 the bird's throat, but the next moment saw it re- 
 turned upon the grass. The process was repeated 
 with the same result, and a third time my friend 
 endeavoured ineffectually to overcome the obstinacy 
 of his captive. At length, reflecting how the 
 Chinese treat their tame Cormorants, by fastening 
 a strap round the neck to prevent the fish from 
 going down, he tied a piece of tape round the 
 Heron's neck, to prevent the fish, in this case, from 
 coming up. The experiment was perfectly success- 
 ful, and the bird, finding it impossible to disgorge, 
 at length abandoned the attempt, and subsequently 
 fed himself. Fish were placed for him in a fountain 
 on the lawn, and he evinced great delight in taking 
 them from the water. One day a rat was observed 
 helping himself to the Heron's food. The rightful 
 owner caught him in the act, and with one blow of 
 his formidable bill felled him to the ground. Seizing 
 him, then, before he could recover, he carried him 
 squeaking to the fountain and ducked him. After 
 shaking him well under water, he held him up 
 
74 RUFFS AND REEVES. 
 
 for examination. The rat spluttered and squeaked 
 in abject terror, and again was he submerged. The 
 dose was repeated, until the unfortunate rat at 
 length succumbed, and being by this time nice and 
 tender, the Heron pouched him, and his then elon- 
 gated form was seen distending the thin skin of the 
 bird's neck in its passage downwards, until it finally 
 disappeared for ever. 
 
 A singular bird is the Buff. Belonging to the 
 same great group which comprises the Snipes and 
 Sandpipers (Scolopax, Tringa and Totanus), it 
 differs remarkably from them all in many respects. 
 Old naturalists placed it among the Tringce, but as 
 the species became better known, it was found that, 
 unlike any other wading bird, the males are poly- 
 gamous, and fight for possession of the females ; 
 they differ from each other in colour ; are a third 
 larger than their mates ; and during the breeding 
 season put forth a curious frill of feathers on the 
 neck, which disappears in autumn, when the sexes 
 separate. These facts led naturalists to consider 
 the bird generically distinct from those above 
 named, and it is now usually placed in the genus 
 Machetes, which Cuvier, in 1817, proposed for it. 
 
SINGULAB PLUMAGE. 75 
 
 By far the most complete account which has been 
 given of the Buff and Eeeve is that which was pub- 
 lished by Montagu, in 1813, in the supplement to 
 his " Ornithological Dictionary." This distinguished 
 naturalist travelled from Devonshire into Lincoln- 
 shire a long journey in those days with the sole 
 object of studying these birds in their native fens, 
 and of ascertaining more than was then known of 
 their habits and curious change of plumage. He 
 experienced the greatest difficulty in discovering the 
 haunts of these birds, for the fen-men, who made a 
 business of snaring them for the table, refused to give 
 him any information on the subject, fearing lest 
 their trade might be interfered with. He attained 
 his object, nevertheless, and carried back with him 
 several live Euffs to Devonshire. These he kept in 
 confinement for a few years, and carefully noted all 
 the changes of plumage which they underwent, and 
 the peculiarities of habit which they displayed. His 
 interesting remarks on the subject should be read in 
 extenso by every naturalist. 
 
 The male birds, as the name Machetes implies, 
 are extremely pugnacious, and this is especially the 
 case at the commencement of the breeding season 
 
76 THE RUFF'S NEST. 
 
 when the birds are pairing. Two Ruffs will then 
 contend for the possession of a Reeve, and with 
 heads lowered, frill distended, and wings trailing 
 the ground, they rush at one another again and 
 again, like game-cocks, leaping and striking with 
 the bill, until one or other is forced to yield. 
 Having paired and selected a spot for the nest, they 
 build not unlike a Snipe, and in much the same 
 situations, generally choosing the middle of a tus- 
 sock or clump of sedge. Here they lay four eggs of 
 an oil-green colour, blotched chiefly at the larger 
 end with liver brown. 
 
 It is remarkable that one seldom sees two Ruffs 
 x)f the same colour ; the variety is surprising. As 
 a rule, the male bird renews the same coloured 
 frill in each succeeding year. This has been proved 
 repeatedly by marking birds in confinement and 
 noting their changes of plumage ; but it has occa- 
 sionally happened that a Ruff which had a light 
 frill one year, assumed one of a darker shade the 
 succeeding spring. The frill begins to make its 
 appearance in April, and before the end of July it 
 has almost disappeared. 
 
 The breeding haunts of this bird in England have 
 
HAUNTS AND HABITS. 77 
 
 been unfortunately almost destroyed. Mr. Stevenson 
 says that in East Norfolk a few pairs still nest 
 annually, and are strictly preserved. In Suffolk, 
 Cambridgeshire, and Yorkshire, where this species 
 was once plentiful, it has now ceased to breed, and 
 in the more northern counties of Durham and 
 Northumberland a nest is very rarely found. We 
 have lately been informed that a few pairs have been 
 found nesting in Lincolnshire within the last two 
 years. 
 
 During the months of August and September, at 
 which season great numbers of shore birds migrate 
 southwards, the Kuff and Keeve are more commonly 
 met with. We have found them at this time of year 
 in the tidal harbours on the east and south coasts, 
 and have several times shot them when looking 
 for Snipe in marshy ground near the sea. The males 
 had then lost their frills, and were only to be dis- 
 tinguished from the females by their larger size and 
 darker plumage. The colour of the legs varies 
 almost as much as the colour of the frills. Orange, 
 lemon, clay colour, lead colour, and black may be 
 found, with all the intervening shades, and this 
 difference of colour in the legs as well as in the 
 
78 EXTINCTION OF NATIVE SPECIES. 
 
 plumage led some of the older naturalists to create 
 some confusion by describing different individuals 
 as distinct species. 
 
 The practice of netting birds for the table in the 
 spring of the year, after the pairing has commenced, 
 is most reprehensible. To destroy the breeding- 
 grounds, and kill the old birds, is a sure way to 
 make a species extinct, and yet this is what is being 
 done in the case of the Euff and Reeve. We would 
 earnestly beg of those who may meet with these birds 
 in suitable localities for nesting, in the spring of the 
 year, to leave them unmolested, and not to cause 
 another name to be added to the list of beautiful 
 creatures which have already become extinct as resi- 
 dents in this country. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 ON SKINNING AND PRESERVING BIRDS. 
 
 WE have frequently heard sportsmen regret that 
 for want of a knowledge of taxidermy they have been 
 prevented from preserving many a beautiful bird 
 which had fallen to the gun, and which they would 
 have given anything to keep. Undoubtedly, the art 
 of bird-preserving is best learnt by watching the 
 operations of an experienced hand ; failing this, a 
 few simple directions, carefully read over and faithfully 
 followed, ought to enable one to master the rudi- 
 ments. Practice will ensure perfection. 
 
 For the benefit, then, of those who may be anxious 
 to learn, we propose to bring our remarks to a close 
 with a few practical hints on the subject, taking 
 nothing for granted, and assuming no previous 
 knowledge on the part of the reader, except an ac- 
 quaintance with the terms generally employed to 
 designate the various portions of the animal frame. 
 
80 ON SKINNING AND PRESERVING BIRDS. 
 
 When discussing in Chapter I. the items of luggage 
 which ought to be packed up for such an excursion, 
 attention was directed to the bird- stuffing apparatus. 
 The necessary materials may be here recapitulated. A 
 sharp knife, a pair of nail-scissors, some cotton wool, 
 plaster-of-Paris, arsenical paste and brush, needles, 
 thread, and a wooden knitting-needle. We will sup- 
 pose that the bird to be preserved is a Grey Plover 
 (Squatarola helvetica), in the handsome black and 
 white plumage which is assumed in the spring. You 
 have already (so soon as it was shot) put some cotton 
 wool in the mouth and placed it in a cone of paper, 
 for reasons above mentioned. Remove this wool, 
 now saturated and stained with saliva; substitute a 
 fresh bit ; tie up the bill, preventing the thread from 
 slipping by passing it through the nostril. Lay the 
 bird on its back ; break the humerus on each side ; 
 the wings will then lie open and be out of the way. 
 Part the feathers on the breast, and with the nail- 
 scissors cut the skin down to the vent. Pick up the 
 edge of the skin on one side with the nail of the left 
 forefinger ; hold it between that finger and the 
 thumb ; and with the knife in the right hand sepa- 
 rate the skin from the body as far as possible both 
 
ON SKINNING AND PRESERVING BIRDS. 81 
 
 ways until the leg and wing, or rather portions of 
 them, the femur and humerus, on that side, are ex- 
 posed. Throw in some plaster-of-Paris and rub it 
 gently against the skin, to absorb the moisture, and 
 to prevent any blood or grease that there may be from 
 soiling the feathers. Take hold of the femur with 
 the left forefinger and thumb ; press the right fore- 
 finger and thumb against the skin and close to the 
 tibia ; then draw the latter out of the skin for half 
 its length ; break it across the middle, and with the 
 scissors cut through the flesh and ligaments which 
 surround the bone. Take hold of the foot and draw 
 it towards you, when one half of the tibia will return 
 to its place, the other half remaining attached to the 
 body, which may then be further skinned on that side 
 as far as the caudal vertebrae. Proceed in the same 
 way with the other side, and now having got both legs 
 free, and the skin below them adhering only round the 
 caudal vertebrae, turn the bird over, breast downwards, 
 and head towards you. Pressing your left thumb upon 
 the tail-coverts and drawing the skin back towards 
 you as far as it will come, the body is pushed out- 
 wards in a semicircular form, the concavity towards 
 you. With the knife, or scissors, the caudal verte- 
 
 G 
 
82 ON SKINNING AND PRESERVING BIRDS. 
 
 brae must then be severed as near the tail as possible. 
 Next take the body with a firm grip in your left hand, 
 and holding it just above the thighs, push the skin 
 gently off the back until you reach the wings, using a 
 little plaster as you proceed. Draw out the humerus 
 on one side (already broken) until the splintered end 
 appears. Cut away the flesh and ligaments sur- 
 rounding the bone, and one wing will then be free. 
 Proceed in the same way with the other wing, and 
 the whole of the body will then be skinned, except 
 the neck and head. 
 
 The skin will now be inside out. Separate the 
 body from the head, leaving the neck attached to 
 the latter to enable you to hold it with the left 
 hand, while with the right you push the skin down 
 over the head until the cranium is fairly exposed to 
 view. With the sharp points of the scissors cut 
 .out the roots, so to say, of the ears, otherwise in 
 trying to remove the skin you will tear it. In the 
 same way cut the membrane which connects the 
 eyelids with the orbits, and you will thus avoid 
 tearing the former. Having then skinned the head 
 right down to the base of the bill, cut away not 
 only the neck but a sufficient portion of the occiput, 
 
ON SKINNING AND PRESERVING BIRDS. 83 
 
 to admit of the brain being extracted. Remove the 
 tongue and palate, and with these the piece of 
 cotton wool which was placed in the mouth at start- 
 ing. You have now nothing but the bare skin 
 turned inside out, with a portion only of the wings 
 and legs remaining in their places, and the reduced 
 portion of the cranium as clean as may be. This 
 will be the best time for removing all particles of 
 fat and flesh which may still be adhering to the 
 skin, and for drying the skin as much as possible 
 with plaster- of- Paris, which, however, must not be 
 allowed to remain, but must be brushed off with a 
 little cotton wool. Dipping your brush in water, 
 you will now moisten the arsenical paste, giving a 
 very thin coat of it to the skull or what remains of 
 it, and to the inside of the skin of the neck. Fill 
 up the orbits and the mouth with cotton wool, 
 taking care to restore in this way the shape of the 
 head as nearly as may be. Turn the skin, then, 
 back over the head, and proceed to turn the skin of 
 the neck until the extremity of the bill appears. 
 Take hold of the bill in the left hand, and draw the 
 skin gently downwards until it is restored to its 
 proper position. It will then be found that the 
 
84 ON SKINNING AND PRESERVING BIRDS. 
 
 feathers of the head, and particularly those around 
 the eyes, are all awry. Here the wooden knitting- 
 needle will prove useful. By inserting it through 
 the eyelids, the skin can be raised and depressed at 
 any particular point, and the feathers consequently 
 made to lie in their natural order. If it be found 
 that the head has not been sufficiently stuffed, more 
 cotton can be introduced through the eye. The skin 
 being now in order, and the head finished, the 
 wings next claim attention. Take the broken 
 humerus between the finger and thumb of the left 
 hand, and with the right thumb-nail push down the 
 skin from the radius and ulna as far as the carpal 
 joint. Eemove all flesh and ligament, apply a little 
 arsenical paste, wrap the bones round with cotton 
 wool, and draw back the skin over them, amputating 
 the humerus at the joint. The same with the other 
 wing ; the same with each leg. Eemove any of the 
 caudal vertebrae that may remain, together with any 
 flesh and fat that may still be adhering towards the tail. 
 Now to make an artificial neck, tie the wings, fill 
 the body, sew it up, and the skin will be completed ; 
 a good neck may be made of wool wound round the 
 knitting-needle ; smear it with the arsenical paste, 
 
ON SKINNING AND PRESERVING BIRDS. 85 
 
 and insert it with a corkscrew movement into the 
 skin of the neck, until you feel that the point of the 
 needle has touched the base of the skull ; reverse 
 the corkscrew movement, and the needle will come 
 away, leaving the wool in the neck ; bring the wing- 
 bones to the centre of the skin, and tie them 
 together, not quite close, but just enough to allow 
 play ; give the whole of the skin inside a dressing 
 with the arsenical paste (say of the consistency of 
 cream), fill it with cotton wool, until it is once more 
 of the natural size, and then it may be sewn up. 
 To do this properly, take a needleful of linen thread, 
 insert the needle at one side of the breast (always 
 insert from the inside), leaving one end of the 
 thread hanging down beyond the tail (the reason of 
 this will be seen later), then insert the needle in the 
 same way on the other side, and so on, across and 
 across, until you reach the tail. Do not draw each 
 stitch tight, but leave the skin open until you have 
 taken the last stitch, and then each stitch may be 
 drawn up tight by simply lifting it with the knitting- 
 needle, just in the same way as you would lace up a 
 boot or a football, with the aid of a button-hook. 
 The end of the thread which was allowed to hang 
 
86 ON SKINNING AND PEE SERVING BIRDS. 
 
 down is now tied to the other end, close to the skin, 
 in a double knot, and it then becomes impossible for 
 the skin to re-open unless the thread be cut. Lift 
 the breast-feathers into their proper places with the 
 finger and thumb. Brush the skin all over with 
 cotton wool to remove any plaster there may be upon 
 it (which, by the way, will not stick to the feathers 
 unless they are wet), and the operation is complete. 
 Nothing remains but to put the skin in shape and 
 allow it to dry. Many persons, after getting thus 
 far, fail at the last moment to give the skin a 
 natural shape and appearance. This can only be 
 acquired by practice and acquaintance with the 
 structure of the particular bird which is being 
 operated upon. Having adjusted the wings in their 
 proper place, a band of paper and a pin will keep 
 them in position until the skin is dry. With the 
 aid of the knitting-needle the plumage is very easily 
 put in order, and nothing more is requisite, except 
 to take care that no one shall touch it until it is dry. 
 If you are obliged to travel before your skins are 
 dry, you run the risk of putting them all out of 
 shape. In this case they should be unpacked every 
 night and re-arranged. 
 
ON SKINNING AND PRESERVING BIRDS. 87 
 
 It need not be supposed that because a bird has 
 been skinned it is rendered unfit for eating. This 
 is not the case. Some birds with thick oily skins 
 are all the better without them. As a rule, a bird 
 is not improved by being skinned, for it is rendered 
 dry in consequence ; but, at the same time, as the 
 body is invariably removed before any arsenic is 
 applied to the skin, and as the plaster-of-Paris 
 which is perfectly harmless will always wash off, 
 the bird is really as palatable as ever. There will 
 probably be no difficulty in procuring a lemon in the 
 village, and a small bottle of cayenne is easily 
 carried in your portmanteau. A dish of roasted 
 plovers, greenshanks, or knots, with these adjuncts, 
 is by no means to be despised. Indeed, we have 
 found from experience that hunger is the best sauce, 
 and he who has thoroughly devoted himself all day 
 to the sport we have described will assuredly not be 
 fastidious when the dinner hour arrives. 
 
 As a receipt for health and strength nothing can 
 equal a good day's shore shooting. It exercises the 
 body, improves the mind, and thus, while providing 
 recreation, provides also an increase to knowledge. 
 Nor does the pleasure end with the excursion. He 
 
88 CONCLUSION. 
 
 who has occupied his evenings in preserving some of 
 the many beautiful birds he has met with, will carry 
 home with him mementoes which can never fail to 
 delight him as often as he looks at them, recalling 
 to his mind, as they will do, many a good day's 
 sport. 
 
 Woodfall and Kinder, Printers, Milford Lane, Strand, London, W.O. 
 
14 DAY USE 
 
 RETURN TO DESK FROM WHICH BORROWED 
 
 LOAN DEPT. 
 
 RENEWALS ONLY TEL. NO. 642-3405 
 
 This book is due on the last date stamped below, or 
 
 on the date to which renewed. 
 Renewed books are subject to immediate recall. 
 
 FEB18196965 
 
 
 RECEIVED 
 
 
 pee o'BS-'^i-'itf 
 
 I to O 
 
 
 'COAtSl DEPT. 
 
 
 
 
 BITS 71974 g 
 
 i 
 
 PCTI CIRC DEP 
 
 rAPh ^? fB ' ^l T ^ 
 Al Ii O V 1 "T 4 ^ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
927831 
 
 SK33I 
 
 J5933 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY