WANDERERS. 273 



exceed those recorded ; for the reason that some 

 of them are very much alike, and when shot for 

 food they have been plucked and eaten without 

 questioning. If two or three geese were procured 

 and the crew required them for dinner, no matter 

 how rare one or the lot might be, it would 

 have required far greater powers of persuasion 

 than could be employed at that time of day to 

 prevent them from being cooked. 



The greenshank, in general form and habits like 

 the redshank, save for its green legs and larger size, 

 is one of those wanderers that travel at express 

 speed. It is not such a common bird as its red- 

 legged relative. Like the green sandpiper, it is seen, 

 when on flight, in spots suitable for resting; and 

 like the former bird, the greenshank, it follows the 

 line of the hills that have moors near them : the 

 wilder they are, the better for the bird. But even 

 in places that are not likely to be disturbed it does 

 not stay ; it only rests and moves on. 



I have seen the bird, and I have also seen 

 different accounts of its habits by various writers; 

 no two being alike, yet all true. One simple fact 

 may be remembered by those who are from cir- 



s 



