194 The Irish Naturalist. October, 



dispose of the much coveted prize. However, they and the 

 Gull made little advance, for after a few feeble strokes with 

 their beaks they hastened away on foot, and rooted along the 

 slob for garbage. It was quite evident that the carcase was 

 too fresh and the hide too tough for their liking, and that the 

 animal would remain there for several days before these useful 

 scavengers would trouble to make a good meal off it. 



Next I watched closely the movements of a Greenshank as 

 it raced up and down the fresh-water channel which inter- 

 sected the slob-land. The channel was very shallow, and, 

 through the binocular, I could plainh* see the long green 

 legs of the bird. When feeding, the Greenshank stretches 

 its neck forward, lowers its head, and thrusts its beak hori- 

 zontall}' forward. The slightly upcurved beak, when pushed 

 along the mud, subserves the function of a very narrow spoon. 

 This is a very different attitude from that assumed by the 

 Curlew when feeding on the slob. The latter plunges its 

 decurved beak with great rapidity into a " worm-hole." The 

 entire beak right up to the forehead is boldlj^ thrust down- 

 ward, the curvature helping to enlarge the worm-track and 

 facilitate the capture of the worm as the bird rotates its head 

 and pushes it vigorously forward. I have watched Curlews 

 feeding in several localities, but never have I witnessed this 

 remarkable action of the beak better than at Breanaskill Bay. 

 Here, I was able to see the worms brought up and swallowed 

 while the beak was onl}^ partially withdrawn from the mud. 

 This took place in most instances, though sometimes the 

 beak was wholly withdrawn first. From the amount of 

 plunging of the forehead that goes on in soft ooze, I have 

 little doubt that the Curlew feasts on numbers of worms which 

 are captured b}^ the sense of touch when the beak is probing 

 in the mud. I am strongly of the opinion that the primary 

 use of the long slender decurved beak of the Curlew is to act 

 as a pick-axe when submerged in estuarine mud or sandy soil 



In the afternoon, I left Breanaskill with Mr. Williams and 

 party, and wandered barefooted along the strand toward the 

 Sound, searching for Sand-eels. I noticed numbers of Herons 

 picking up small fish and other creatures from the shallows, 

 also several Turnstones and Oyster-catchers feeding on the 

 sands. Among the numerous gulls which passed overhead 



