WILD FOWL ON AN ESTUARY WINTER 265 



drowsily " peeping," and preening their feathers on 

 some favourite rocklet rising out of the sea. 



But, no sooner has the water ebbed sufficiently 

 far to expose their feeding-ground, than the gulls 

 take possession of the sandbanks ; the redshanks 

 announce their approach with a double scream, 

 and recommence their restless search among the 

 , dripping seaweed for the clinging mollusc; the 

 ring-plovers flit past in small bands at lightning 

 speed; the dunlins drift along, wheeling in their 

 characteristic fashion, and returning on their course, 

 as if influenced by a sudden change of wind. 



The sandpipers seem to mingle freely, so that it 

 is very difficult to tell what species may, or may 

 not be represented in a passing flock, without the 

 test of the gun ; and, when one has fired, he never 

 knows what he may have killed until he picks it 

 up : it may be dunlin, purple sandpiper, sanderling, 

 godwit, or knot. 



When big and little flock together, they seem 

 naturally to fall into a certain order; godwit 

 leading in a compact body, knot coming second in 

 a looser flight, and the great army of smaller sand- 

 pipers behind. Hidden by numbers, no doubt, a 

 great many species escape undetected. 



The knot is one of the most interesting of our 



