MOVEMENTS OF SHORE-BIRDS 99 



for them to seek their food both day and night. They feed 

 most greedily between half-ebb and ebb tide, but when high 

 spring tides are running, which keep their grounds covered so 

 long with water, they become anxious to feed as soon as the 

 tide has left bare the first tract of feeding ground. In autumn, 

 when high tides occur and no resting-ground on the shore is 

 left bare at top tide, the shore-birds will often resort to large 

 pastures, fallow fields, and such places inland. If disturbed 

 they then take wing to sea, where they will fly for hours together 

 until the tide again ebbs. Shore-birds of the larger and more 

 worthy kinds, such as curlew and godwits, when much per- 

 secuted become exceedingly wary and fly high when crossing 

 what they know to be dangerous spots ; but in the usual course 

 of things these birds if unmolested make their daily tidal flights 

 at no great height. Flying against a strong wind, they merely 

 skim the ground, only rising a little to take the banks. The 

 shore-gunner in quest of shore-birds should aim to "hit off" 

 these flight-lines of the birds. 



We have already referred to this subject as 



FLIGHTING , . i j • ^ i j j • u^ 



being classed m two ways, namely, day and night. 

 Day-flighting happens irregularly, whereas what is termed 

 night-flighting occurs daily — morning and evening — during 

 ithe shooting season. It matters little what birds are being 

 )ursued by the shore-gunner, the general rule applying to 

 light lines of one class — if a rule can be laid down — applies 

 to another in an equal degree. We will take duck-flighting, 

 for example. Evening flights generally result in better sport 

 than morning flights. This may be accounted for by the 

 Ifact that in the evening the birds are hungry and anxious 

 ito reach their feeding grounds, whereas in the morning, after 

 Ihaving had their fill, they are not in any great hurry, and 

 loften do not wing seawards until disturbed. When a flight- 

 line of ducks is struck, observe the direction and strength 

 )f the wind. Unless the gunner is informed he will have to 



