234 THE FOWLER IN IRELAND. 



Should there be little chance of fowling in prospect, 

 shoot a Curlew, if you can. If slightly wounded, he 

 will prove a good decoy at all times, and may be 

 kept for that purpose. Fasten him to a peg in the 

 ground and, while you are hidden yourself, he will 

 attract by his calls any other Curlews feeding in the 

 neighbourhood. These latter will now and then 

 look up as if listening, and then desert the adjacent 

 flats or marsh to pay a visit of curiosity or con- 

 dolence to the noisy captive. As they fly, swooping 

 by, they will afford excellent shots from time to 

 time. 



Though Curlews are common on the coast and its 

 oozy flats, they are not near so frequent inland. Their 

 bill being adapted for feeding on soft ground accounts 

 for their preference to the mud of estuaries and 

 harbours. A solitary Curlew, as is the case with a 

 Heron, is seldom flushed from behind a bank ; you 

 will as often as not see his head and bill showing 

 over the very eminence you intended creeping to 

 for the chance of a shot on the other side. His 

 large, quick, and soft eye (he rivals the Plover in 

 this respect) has spied you long since ; but he will 

 not move, on the mere chance of your passing 

 by unobservant of his statue-like form. When 

 he becomes aware that you are conscious of his 

 presence, he hurriedly departs. 



Many writers affirm that wildfowl choose the 

 companionship of Curlews, trusting to their vigilance 

 to give due notice of danger. This pretty idea, so 

 far as my experience goes, is quite erroneous. I 

 have noticed that wildfowl rather shun the society 

 of Curlews. I do not think that Ducks would ever 



