Along Shining Shores 85 



they do not stop on their return flight from 

 the North Pole in August. The curlew and 

 grayback come in April and leave the last of 

 May. They spend five weeks in the far 

 North and return to Virginia about July 15, 

 and remain till the latter part of August, or 

 middle of September. 



Not so the red-breast. He comes in a 

 night in May, gets fat in two weeks and 

 leaves suddenly. He is not seen again until 

 next spring. 



May 1 7 we reached the Life Saving Station 

 of Smith's Island, by the invitation of its 

 genial captain, George Kitchens. It was 

 blowing a furious gale and raining in blind- 

 ing sheets, with the wind hanging steadily 

 on to the northeast. 



The birds had not come, the crew told us, 

 but Captain George said they would come in 

 on the wings of the storm that night. At 

 daylight we caught the old plug of a horse 

 from the stable and hitched him to the cart. 



