THE BEETLEHEAD PLOVER 75 



passersby driven inshore by tlie southeast 

 storms so eagerly looked for by the marsh- and 

 bay-gunners of these waters. Thus, while we 

 seldom get any shooting at shore-birds here be- 

 fore the middle of August or the first of Sep- 

 tember, our brother sportsmen of Massa- 

 chusetts commonly have good sport on plover 

 and curlew as early as the middle of July. 



The Beetleheads, as are the other ''bay 

 snipe" on Cape Cod, are mostly shot from 

 blinds and over decoys set out on the sea beaches 

 — the blind usually a pit in the sand with the 

 gunner lying quietly hidden until the game has 

 come in close. Large bags of the various kinds 

 of plover and curlew are often made in this 

 fashion, for as the compact flocks wheel over the 

 *'tolers" and turn to leave when they discover 

 the cheat they give the most favorable oppor- 

 tunity for the experienced bay-man to rake their 

 ranks with deadly effect. 



They make a j^retty picture as the flocks 

 sweep rapidly past in close order, with clear 

 and musical call, the sharply contrasted blacks 

 and whites of their plumage alternately show- 

 ing and being hidden by the swiftly moving 

 wings as they career along, now slanting to 



