44 DECEMBER OUT-OF-DOORS. 



winged birds, look much larger in the air 

 than when at rest. Returning towards Lynn, 

 later in the afternoon, we came upon the 

 same three birds again; this time feeding 

 among the boulders at the end of the beach. 

 We remarked once more their curious, silly- 

 looking custom of standing stock-still with 

 heads indrawn. But our own attitudes, as 

 we also stood stock-still with glasses raised, 

 may have looked, in their eyes, even more 

 singular and meaningless. As we turned 

 away after flushing them two or three 

 times to get a view of their pretty cinnamon 

 rump-feathers a sportsman came up, and 

 proved to be the very man on whose belt we 

 had seen our first killdeers, a week before. 

 We left him doing his best to bag these 

 three also. He will never read what I write, 

 and I need not scruple to confess that, see- 

 ing his approach, we purposely startled the 

 birds as badly as possible, hoping to see them 

 make off over the hill, out of harm's way. 

 But the foolish creatures could not take the 

 hint, and alighted again within a few rods, 

 at the same time calling loudly enough to 

 attract the attention of the gunner, who up 

 to this moment had not been aware of their 



