58 THE BOOK OF THE OPEN AIR 



the brown mud and between their rob the turnstones with amusing im- 



grey, sharp, curved wings ! The noisy pudence. Twice the turnstones in turn 



" May-bird " of the old race of gunners pretend to punish them with open bill, 



was always greatly disliked, for it did but their menaces are unheeded, and 



sentry-go for flocks of friendly waders, they repeat their pilfering at the 



and was always the first to warn of earliest moment, and finally tire the 



danger. patience of their larger friends, who 



We purpose lying in a little creek with a low clear note take to wing and 



for half an hour, by which time the leave them. 



flats, higher up, will be covered, and the Walking sedately on the far side of 

 birds driven from their feeding grounds the lumps are several curlews, piping 

 must come this way for a foothold, or between their probings in that self- 

 go to the marshes to nap or preen complacent trilling note which be- 

 their feathers, and chat over plans for speaks contentment and satisfaction, 

 the morrow's doings. Already a cou- How adroitly the long bill is thrust 

 pie of knots, unnoticing us crouching down to where the clams are hiding, 

 in the punt, and decoyed into halting It is amusing to see how the curlew 

 by an imitation of their note, have timidly jumps aside as an equally 

 alighted on the drift left at last night's startled mollusc squirts up its surplus 

 high- water mark ; and a trio of turn- water ; but it is to its own undoing, 

 stones, clad in the black and white and for the bird immediately digs down, 

 ruddy brown of spring, with legs of and if it is not too big hauls it out, 

 orange-red, have joined them. Right and forthwith devours it. The curlew 

 merrily the turnstones commence to sometimes muds his " face," for the 

 fling aside the wrack and bits of iflotsam clam as often lies six inches buried, 

 under which hide Gammarus marinus and the curlew usually has but a 

 and many a shore-hopper, and which five and a half inch bill with which 

 skip or wriggle to the right or left on to nab him ! The shorecrab provides 

 being so unexpectedly exposed to view, the curlew with many a breakfast, 

 They do not reap the benefit of all but he never profits by his failures 

 their labour, for the friendly knots do to swallow any but the tiniest of 

 not mind sharing in the spoils, while a flounders. Yet he can never refuse 

 quartet of dunlins in their vests of to toy with a fish he knows it is im- 

 black promptly step in and dodge and possible for him to bag, and the wily 



