THE BOOK OF MIGRATORY BIRDS 157 



is Zostera Marina, but it is known in many places locally 

 by gunners as "wrack grass," "zos," "wigeon weed," 

 and so on. At daybreak the ducks seek the open sea or 

 bays for safety during the day, but if the weather is 

 boisterous they will fly along-shore in trips searching for 

 a safe shelter. At such times they also often resort to 

 the mudflats, and should any fresh-water stream run 

 through the flats at low tide the ducks will be found during 

 bad weather in incredible numbers sporting and drinking, 

 or else dead asleep in the vicinity of such quarters. But 

 ducks are hardy fowl, and little shelter will suffice for 

 them ; thus it is only at places where the tide recedes far 

 out from the mainland that ducks may be met with avail- 

 ing themselves of such conditions. The sea ducks feed 

 day and night, according to tide times and conditions of 

 the weather. 



Shore birds i.e., those of the wader tribe are very 

 regular in their habits in winter. As the tide flows and 

 so covers their feeding-grounds, shore birds of the com- 

 moner kinds, such as curlew, plover, godwit, redshank, 

 knot, and dunlin wing in small parties higher up the 

 estuaries or along the coast to places where sandbars, 

 salting edges, or islands are to be found, and on which 

 they may rest until the tide recedes. Their chief feeding- 

 times are governed by the tides ; thus it is compulsory 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 



