THE CL'UI.EW.l 



r.V Fll-LU, WOOD, AND WATER. 



[the cdelew. 



cookinjif theso birds, na it is from ii liigb 

 authoritv. At'tor pickiiiLj tlu'in, take olF tlio 

 black down, by uieaiis of powcK rod black rosin 

 and boiling water, and tlion let tlieiu soak all 

 iiiijlit in cold spring-water. Tliia process 

 makes them look as delicate as a chicken, and 

 becoino tolerably tender and juicy. Unless 

 this he done, the skin, in roasting, will be oily, 

 and have a strong fishy taste and sincU ; and 

 when taken oft' it will become dry, and good 

 for nothing. But, perhaps, the best method is 

 to skin them at once ; and after soaking them 

 twenty-four hours in cold si)ring-water, re- 

 peatedly changed, they can be made into a 

 pudding or pie, or into soup. By these means, 

 the skin is got rid of, without losing the juice 

 of the flesh ; and their lishy taste is, in a great 

 degree, drawn ofl" by the steam. 



The coot is difficult to be flushed, conse- 

 quently a fair flying shot at it is not always 

 to be obtained. Its suspicious habitc keep it 

 from frequently showing itself, and dogs are 

 seldom able to make much impression upon it 

 in rousing it from its lurking-places. They are 

 sometimes pursued in Prance by two shooters — 

 one on each side of a narrow and sedgy stream — 

 when, with the addition of a couple of indus- 

 trious dogs, execution is occasionally done, 

 and a i'evr brace bagged in the course of a day. 

 It is, however, only in some favourite locality 

 that success can be realised even in that 

 country, where the birds are more numerous 

 than they are with us. It is not often that 

 these birds are regularly sought after by 

 sportsmen in England ; the shooting of them 

 being rather a chance aff"air than a purposely 

 80ught-for sport. 



In many of the sedgy and sluggish rivers 

 that lie along the south-eastern portion of the 

 coast of France, coots are very numerous ; but 

 the inhabitants in rural districts consider them 

 as birds of evil omen ; and whenever they see 

 one fly out from its hiding-place, they cross 

 themselves, and consider the circumstance as 

 portentous of some unhappy event. This may, 

 perhaps, be susceptible of some degree of ex- 

 planation, when tlie shy and retiring habits of 

 the bird are taken into account. 



THE CURLEW. 



The ScoJopax Aquata, of LinnsDUS, is a sliy 

 bird, and requires some manoeuvring to get 

 4 £ 



within range of him. iU' measurea about two 

 feet in length, and, from the tip of u«ch wing, 

 averages about three feet. The bill is full 

 seven inches long, and curved, with a houjo- 

 what tender and bliitit point. The upper 

 mandible is of a blackish hue, gradually 

 shaded oft' to a brown towards the base ; 

 and the under one is flesh-coloured. Tho 

 head, neck, and upper part of the back, and 

 wing-covcrts, are of a pale brown ; and tho 

 middle of each feather is black, fringed and 

 deeply indented with pale rust, or light grey. 

 Tiie breast, belly, and lower portion of tlio 

 beak, are of a dull white, sparsely spotted 

 with black ; and tho two former with oblong 

 strokes of tho same colour, mathematically 

 set. The quills are black, and the inner webs 

 are crossed, or spotted with white. The tail 

 is barred with black, on a white ground tinged 

 with red. The legs are bare a little above the 

 knee, and of a bluish hue ; whilst the toes arc 

 thick and strong, and flat on the under side. 



These birds vary considerably, not only in 

 point of size, but in regard to the colours of 

 their plumage. Their weight ranges from 

 twenty-four to upwards of thirty ounces. In 

 some, the white portions of the plumage are 

 much more distinct and clearly defined than in 

 others, which are more uniformly grey, and 

 tinged with palo brown. The female has a 

 great resemblance to the male, and makes her 

 nest upon the ground, in a dry tuft of rushes 

 or grass, or of such withered materials as are 

 found near the spot. She lays four eggs, of a 

 greenish hue, with brown spots irregularly 

 distributed over them. 



The food of these birds consists of worms, 

 insects, and flies, which they pick out of tho 

 soft mossy ground, by the pools or water in 

 such parts of the country as they frequent. 

 In winter they seek the sea-shores, where they 

 appear in great numbers, picking up worms, 

 marine insects, and other fishy materials, on 

 the beach, and among the loose rocks and 

 pools left by the retiring tide. The flesh of 

 the curlew has been characterised by some as 

 very good, and of a fine flavour ; while others 

 have unceremoniously condemned it. Tiio 

 truth is, when it lives in the moors, and feeds 

 on insects, and such faro as it can gather in 

 the boggy ground, it is excellent eating ; 

 but after it has been a short time by the 



577 



