124 BIRD-LIFE OF THE BORDERS. 



outwitted thus, at least iu this country. They are too 

 utterly afraid of man and all his works. Over two centuries 

 ago, Gervasc Markham wrote (in 1655) : " A fowle is won- 

 derfully fearful of a man," and they certainly are not less so at 

 the present day. The Grey Geese, which appear crossing 

 the moors iu October, will pass right overhead rather than 

 alter their course ; but they are always at a height which they 

 consider beyond all reach of danger, and I never knew them 

 miscalculate. The Curlew is one of the most watchful and 

 suspicious of birds ; but though we do not have them on the 

 moors in autumn, I feel sure that, if there, they would thus 

 fall an occasional victim to misplaced sagacity, having fre- 

 quently passed within 100 yards of them when driving across 

 the sand-flats of the coast without their taking any notice or 

 even discontinuing their probing operations.* I have, how- 

 ever, perhaps dilated too much on this subject of bird- 

 instincts, which has been to me a most interesting study. 



The foregoing is a rough outline of a system of sport of 

 which it is sometimes useful to possess some knowledge late 

 in the season. Many moors are too irregular in shape or in 

 contour, or too narrow to admit of driving, and yet may per- 

 haps be too level to aflford the slightest chance of approaching 

 wild birds. On such grounds, " carting " oflers a means of 

 obtaining access to them, and six, eight, or twelve brace may 

 thus be killed, where hardly a bird would reward the utmost 

 labour otherwise. Driving also necessitates at least four or 

 five guns, and a larger number of drivers — conditions not 

 always attainable. A single sportsman may not only, under 

 favourable conditions, enjoy excellent sport in this way, but 

 he will be delighted with the constant and interesting oppor- 

 tunities for the observation of wild birds. 



* Since writing the above, I have proved that this supposition is 

 correct. As an experiment, I took a cart to-day (Jan. 27) several 

 times within shot of Curlews, both single birds, and small flocks, on 

 some wide sand-flats on the coast. Even when a bird was shot, the 

 rest only flew a short distance, pitching again within a quarter of a 

 mile ; but were considerably more suspicious on a second approach. 



