BAE-T AILED GOD WIT. 3 



" The call, as near as I can write it, sounded to me like ' koo-iodk, koo-wdk,' 

 sometimes varied by ' koowi-kooioi' repeated rapidly. The behaviour of this bird 

 reminded me somewhat of that of the Whimbrel, and each nest that I found Avas 

 in the vicinity of one belonging to a pair of Buffon's Skuas, in the same way that 

 Whimbrels share the nesting-ground of Richardson's Skuas in other countries ; 

 whether for mutual protection or not, I do not know. It is impossible to watch 

 Godwits to their nests, like one can Grey Plovers, &c., as in the latter case the 

 sitting bird instantly leaves the nest on the appearance of a stranger, and can be 

 watched till it returns to it ; whereas the sitting Godwits allowed me to almost 

 catch them in my hand before quitting their eggs. The back of these birds so 

 exactly resembled the ground that when I brought my man to within 6 feet of the 

 bird, he could not see it. The Bar-tailed Godwit, like many other waders, 

 occasionally perches upon tree-stumps ; the hen bird I found much the bolder 

 at its nest." 



