254 WITHIN AN HOUR OF LONDON TOWN. 



shore-shooters, shrieking as he flies, can form any 

 idea of the bird's swiftness. I have known a bird 

 of this kind ' fly the gauntlet ' for three miles, and 

 there has been bang ! bang ! bang ! from every 

 shooter that he passed, good shots too. He es- 

 caped the lot without being touched. Swift fliers 

 at all times, their ordinary speed is as nothing com- 

 pared with what it is when they are frightened. 



The oyster - catcher, sea - pie, or sea - magpie, 

 paddles on the hards, the sands, and the ooze. 

 Where mussels, cockles, and other small shell-fish 

 abound, there you will find the sea- magpie. The 

 name of oyster-catcher is not well applied to this 

 bird. I have carefully examined the bill. It is 

 certainly well fitted for picking and wedging open 

 small shell-fish, but the oysters have nothing to fear 

 from him. Any one who has opened them knows 

 that some considerable force is necessary for that 

 operation. There is another circumstance to be 

 taken into consideration. Oyster-grounds or beds 

 are mostly rigidly protected both by day and night. 

 No game-preserves are more closely looked after. 

 If the bird was in any way injurious to these, the 

 owners of the beds would at once take measures for 



