SHORE-SHOOTING 93 
well, when able to whistle strongly and clearly, to solicit a 
personal lesson from an expert friend or other whom he may 
know. Failing this, there is no other alternative than to 
persevere by practice and become perfect by experience. 
As has been said, suitable times must occur for calling 
to prove successful. Of course, at unsuitable times it would 
be a waste to attempt calling ; but there seem to be exceptions 
in all things, and thus it is that a shore-bird will occasionally 
come straight to a caller when no reasons other than the 
call are apparent for its doing so. In these cases the birds are 
new arrivals, and, although the tide may be out, they have not 
gained the run of the feeding grounds, and probably fall 
victims through their readiness to make companions. Few 
birds, however, will be shot in this way—merely the odd 
simpletons, who are invariably immature birds. When the 
tide is out and a bird is passing, unless it takes a turn towards 
you at the first call, do not continue, as further calling will be 
useless. 
Many birds have the power of ventriloquially producing 
calls. This power, I honestly believe, conveys between the 
communicants something akin to the language notes or talk. 
A shore-bird—take, for example, the curlew—when calling on 
wing and approaching others on the ground, will modulate its 
notes from a loud high-pitched note, if danger or alarm is 
suspected, to a soft low pipe, after satisfying itself all is safe 
and the situation genuine. These are no doubt very fine 
points to note, but nevertheless they are correct. The non- 
caller will never note them, whereas the caller will readily detect 
these niceties so attracting in his calls, and thus adopt them, 
well knowing they are the keynotes of his successful practice. 
To prove what I have written, or, rather, more closely show 
the meaning of modulations in calls, to say nothing of ventrilo- 
quism, I will refer the reader to the call of the greenshank. 
This bird has but one call, yet in it there is a language, undeni- 
