XIII. 



SALT-WATER BIRDS.. 



To many the shooting along the shores of 

 inlets from the ocean is even more attractive 

 than that of the uplands, and I must confess 

 that the smell of salt water stirs in me some very 

 delightful recollections. Probably the largest 

 assortment and quantity of "shore birds," or 

 "bay birds" as they are commonly called, are 

 now on the Pacific coast, where they are not yet 

 appreciated as they will be later. 



At the mouth of the Colorado River and the 

 adjacent shores of the Gulf of California the 

 waders are more abundant than I have ever seen 

 them elsewhere, and it is doubtful if any part of 

 the United States can now show the quantity 

 and variety there to be seen almost any day in 

 the winter. The shores are long and low, pro- 

 tected from heavy surf by miles of shallow water, 



192 



