44 DECEMBER OUT-OF-DOORS. 
winged birds, loolk much larger in the air 
than when at rest. Returning towards Lynn, 
later in the afternoon, we came upon the 
same three birds again; this time feeding 
among the boulders at the end of the beach. 
We remarked once more their curious, silly- 
looking custom of standing stock-still with 
heads indrawn. But our own attitudes, as 
we also stood stock-still with glasses raised, 
may have looked, in their eyes, even more 
singular and meaningless. As we turned 
away —atter flushing them two or three 
times to get a view of their pretty cinnamon 
rump-feathers —a sportsman came up, and 
proved to be the very man on whose belt we 
had seen our first killdeers, a week before. 
We left him doing his best to bag these 
three also. He will never read what I write, 
and I need not seruple to confess that, see- 
ing his approach, we purposely startled the 
birds as badly as possible, hoping to see them 
make off over the hill, out of harm’s way. 
But the foolish creatures could not take the 
hint, and alighted again within a few rods, 
at the same time calling loudly enough to 
attract the attention of the gunner, who up 
to this moment had not been aware of their 
