THE BKOWN-BACK 147 



sea ; but whatever the reason the fact remains. 

 Those which do visit ns are less inclined to 

 hurry their departure than in the spring when 

 untrammeled by young birds of limited flight 

 powers. 



If the gunner's good genius leads him to the 

 beach on the day of their arrival he may chance 

 to have some sport that will long be remem- 

 bered. Down on some long sandbar in the early 

 morning, snug in his shallow pit or grass-hid- 

 den blind with his life-like bunch of decoys set 

 twenty yards or so away, the lucky fellow is 

 almost certain to make a good bag of birds. 

 In the air their flocks are the most compact 

 of all the bay birds, and in search of food they 

 pass over the beach and waves at from ten to 

 fifteen feet above the surface. Their migra- 

 tory flights are often made at a considerable 

 height, though if a whistle can reach them they 

 are apt to come down for investigation. Hear- 

 ing the mimicry of their own notes and anxious 

 to aid those who have been cut down by the dis- 

 charge they will return to the decoys not once 

 but many times until the flock has been sadly 

 reduced. 



In the west there is a variety of this bird 



