BAY-SNIPE SHOOTING. 95 
have been during their return flight; but whether 
they were our bay-birds in their vast variety, or. 
whether they were merely the flocks of golden 
plover that follow the winding of the coast and sub- 
sequently visit Nantucket and Montauk Point, I had 
no opportunity to determine by personal experience. 
With us they make their appearance in the neigh- 
borhood of Boston Bay, and thence they are found, 
with various intermissions, caused by the nature of 
the ground, all the way to the State of Texas. The 
innumerable bays, sounds, and lagoons of our South- 
ern States, inclosed by broad meadows and inciud- 
ing thousands of marshy islands, are their favorite 
feeding-grounds, and are visited by them in unnum- 
bered thousands. The larger varieties may be seen 
there all through the fall quietly feeding, and scarce- 
ly noticing the approach of man. In Texas they 
seem to congregate in vast bodies, and probably move 
off to or beyond the equator in the early winter 
months, although this has never been positively as- 
certained. 
They are not killed as game south of Virginia, 
and rarely south of New Jersey ; in fact, it may be 
said that only on Cape Cod, Long Island, and the 
shore line of New Jersey, are they scientifically pur- 
sued. At these places the sport has greatly dimi- 
nished of late years ; afew years ago Barnstable beach 
was a celebrated resort; and at Quogue, parties 
used no stools, but stationed themselves along the 
narrow neck that connects the beach with the main 
land, and fired till their guns were dirty or their am- 
