2G6 LIMOSA RUFA. 



" The number of Godwits varies remarkably in different 

 years, in some being scarce, in others abundant. The first 

 that I met with was, when a young shooter, in 1822; in 

 which year large flocks appeared on the 7th of September, 

 on the short pasture and the sandy beach at Holy wood 

 rabbit-warren, Belfast Bay. Their tameness surprised me. 

 Of all birds that I had ever seen they most freely admitted 

 the approach of the fowler, who had only to walk directly 

 towards them, and choose his distance from which to fire, as 

 they were feeding or reposing on the strand. After a 

 number were killed from a flock on the ground, the re- 

 mainder, though taking wing on hearing the report, would 

 sometimes pitch again among the dead and wounded before 

 the perpetrator of the deed of blood, having again charged 

 his gun, could reach the spot to lift them ; when a second 

 volley would, in addition, lay some of the others low. The 

 pockets of a shooting-jacket at that time usually sufficed to 

 hold the few birds that might fall to my gun ; but the 

 number of Godwits proved too great for them, and, not- 

 withstanding all that could be done in the way of squeezing 

 and pressing, the long bills and legs of the poor victims 

 could not be concealed, but kept dangling outside, thus 

 serving as an announcement to the shooters in the village, 

 when I returned homeward, of the easy prey that awaited 

 them. At a different part of the shore, on the same day, 

 thirty-one Godwits were killed by two persons shooting in 

 company ; a number which would probably have been 

 doubled had one of the guns not missed fire at the best shot 

 offered during the day. This was at ' the great flock of 

 from 200 to 300,' which from a distance of four or five 

 yards, with the gun resting on a ditch-bank, was sought to 

 be fired at ; the birds were so close together, that less than 

 thirty could hardly have fallen had the gun been discharged. 

 This being on a Saturday, the report of the number of these 

 birds seen had time to spread widely before Monday morning, 

 when the field — or rather shore — was taken by so many 

 shooters, that the execution done on the poor Godwits was 

 very great; about twenty or thirty birds were killed by 

 single guns. For several davs thev continued in consider- 



