BAY- SHOOTING. 131 



frequenting the creeks and marshes when making 

 their migratory flights to the Northward in the spring, 

 and when returning to their home in the South in the 

 summer and autumn : — 



Black-Bellied Plover (Charadrias afiricarius). 



These shore-birds are better known in the Northern 

 States than many other birds on our coast, where they 

 make a short stay, and then hie away to the rolling 

 grounds and uplands of almost every part of New 

 England. They are shy and watchful birds, and hard 

 to get within shooting "distance. The bay men shoot 

 them from stands, made generally by digging holes in 

 the ground, as they do many other birds on our At- 

 lantic coast. It takes strong shooting to bring them 

 to bag. When on the uplands, they feed upon grass- 

 hoppers and other insects, and are very rapid on their 

 pinions. In the summer months nearly all farmers' 

 boys have some knowledge of the whereabouts of 

 these birds, having seen them in the pastures and on 

 large hills. They usually know them by the name of 

 kill-deers. 



Willett or Stone Curlew (Scolofiax semipalmatd). 



The Willett belongs to the numerous snipe family. 

 Its cry is shrill and peculiar, and when once heard is 

 seldom forgotten. Sportsmen are always anxious to 

 bag these birds. They build their nests in the marshes 

 of the Northern States, and return to the South in 

 October. 



