THE FAMILY OF WADERS. 261 



It consists of dunlins coming up with the wind at 

 full speed. We can hear the rush of the thousands 

 of wings, and their soft chatter some time before 

 they reach us. Now they are here : with a humming 

 roar they pass below us up the creek, shoot up, 

 showing black and white as they turn, dive down into 

 the creek again, pass us, and take a sweep over the 

 snow, where they are invisible, for their white under- 

 plumage, caused by the turn, is in the light. Another 

 turn, and a dark cloud is passing over the snow and 

 into the creek. One turn more and we see that 

 cloud of dunlins drop below us on the slub a vast 

 host of living silver dots moving rapidly over the 

 dark-brown mud and grey ooze. As they throw 

 their wings up, as they flirt up from one spot to 

 another, all busy chattering and dibbing, now here, 

 now there, for we can see all their actions, so 

 close are they to us, I thought that it was one of 

 the most interesting sights I had been privileged to 

 witness. 



No one could be in the company of shore-shooters 

 one half -hour before hearing ox -birds dunlins 

 spoken of. There are some out-of-the-world spots, 

 once well known to me, which are unchanged to the 



