274 WITH THE WOODLANDERS. 



cumstances forced to draw their knowledge of birds 

 from books namely, that one and all, from the 

 most common to the rarest, can and do adapt 

 themselves to surrounding influences. With some 

 few exceptions, which I need not refer to here, 

 birds that are not molested are perfectly fearless. 



Some writers have stated that the greenshank 

 is one of the most difficult birds to study, or to 

 get within shot of. Why should any one want to 

 shoot it ? Another states that he has lifted a 

 greenshank off her nest, out on the open moorland, 

 more than once. This gentleman, when fowling 

 in Sutherlandshire, passed in his punt within 

 thirty feet of thousands of those wary birds, the 

 oyster-catchers ; from never having been disturbed, 

 they were perfectly fearless, and they took no more 

 notice of him than they would of a seal floating by. 

 He did not fire at the birds, we have his word for 

 that. 



Seals are far more numerous than they are sup- 

 posed to be by the general public. They can be 

 seen mixed up with the young of sea-birds ; some 

 of these jabbering and squalling because the young 

 seals have usurped their resting-places. Floating 



