io6 HUNTING TRIPS 



The curlew is the most conspicuous; in- 

 deed its loud, incessant clamor, its erect car- 

 riage, and the intense curiosity which pos- 

 sesses it, and which makes it come up to 

 circle around any strange object, all com- 

 bine to make it in springtime one of the most 

 conspicuous features of plains life. At that 

 time curlews are seen in pairs or small par- 

 ties, keeping to the prairies and grassy up- 

 lands. They are never silent, and their dis- 

 cordant noise can be heard half a mile off. 

 Whenever they discover a wagon or a man 

 on horseback, they fly toward him, though 

 usually taking good care to keep out of gun- 

 shot. They then fly over and round the ob- 

 ject, calling all the time, and sometimes go- 

 ing off to one side, where they will light and 

 run rapidly through the grass; and in this 

 manner they will sometimes accompany a 

 hunter or traveller for miles, scaring off all 

 game. By the end of July or August they 

 have reared their young; they then go in 

 small flocks, are comparatively silent, and 

 are very good eating. I have never made a 



