A WARY BIRD 297 



birds retrieved. When all is ready the guide gets 

 into the box, and then the trials of endurance, patience 

 and expectancy begin. There is no lack of birds in 

 sight — thousands of them — and their cries at times 

 are deafening, but they keep provokingly far enough 

 off to make you feel as if your head must never again 

 be raised. You soon get cramped and numbed with 

 the cold wind ; and maybe have rain, or snow or sleet 

 blowing and pelting in your face. But you must not 

 get up. 



Once I sat in a box for five hours, and during the 

 whole of that time the rain, snow and sleet were driv- 

 ing into my teeth, while to vary the monotony the 

 water from the high tide would now and then wash 

 over my back and down my neck. Yet I waited 

 paitently for my reward and got it. Up like a flash 

 and within range came five birds, flying down the 

 wind with the speed of a carrier pigeon. We got a 

 shot apiece ; three were left behind, while the other 

 two were soon miles away. Our long wait and ex- 

 posure were forgotten. We said : " How did those 

 two birds get away ? " " They must be crippled ! " 

 "Watch them!" "They're going downl" "No, 

 they're not I " " Yes, they are ! " and so on, but the 

 birds were not ours, that was sure. 



And thus you never know when out of the haze, or 

 the clear sky, like a meteor from behind you, or 

 straight on, a bunch of birds may come that have 



