SHORE-SHOOTING 89 
numerable larks, thrushes, and blackbirds may be seen passing 
either inland or along the coast. At this season woodcock 
arrive, and occasionally when tired, seek shelter wherever it 
may be afforded them on the shore. Some good bags under 
these circumstances have been made at woodcock. Needless 
to add, it is necessary to possess a game licence to legally 
shoot woodcock. Under the present state of the Game Laws, 
41 is the amount charged for a game certificate for the shortest 
period, and, as this is considered by most shore-shooters who 
do not regularly shoot game to be beyond their means, wood- 
cock are often shot without a licence, and the law is con- 
sequently broken. Itisa pity weekly, or even daily, licences 
are not issued. 
The most important feature to be observed when 
the gunner has become proficient in the art of 
calling is a suitable place to call from. Be he 
merely walking a shore and temporarily hiding to call a bird 
within range, the said bird must have some object in ‘‘ taking ” 
his call. If the bird takes no heed it is evident (if the caller is 
a good mimic) that nothing in the objects of the bird’s daily 
movements invites it to take notice of the call. It must 
appear reasonable to all that unless some necessity of habit in 
the form of flight-lines, feeding grounds, resting grounds, and 
such-like impels birds to take notice of calls in aiding their 
social welfare, little else will. Possibly it may be rather more 
clearly understood, though not quite, what really does happen 
if one says that-a shore-bird will not take notice of the 
call-note of another of its species, without some tolerable, and 
indeed necessary reason. We can say that the times when 
shore-birds—in fact, all birds—pay most attention to calling, 
are those when, following out their natural habits, they find 
it most convenient and remunerative for them to do so. 
From a human standpoint this is reasonable, but the diffi- 
culty of bringing the theory (for it fades into such) into useful 
CALLING 
BIRDS 
