xxxvin 



THE SHORE BIRDS OR WADERS 



BIRDS of the shores, or wading-birds, are desig- 

 nated by the ornithologists as LimicolcB, liter- 

 ally, inhabitants of the mud. A number of these birds, 

 however, inhabit the uplands, preferring grass-fields 

 and meadows to the marshy ponds or muddy margins 

 of streams, and many are found upon the sandy shores 

 of the ocean. 



As we consider these wading-birds from the sports- 

 man's point of view, we find it difficult to determine 

 how many of them should be classed as game. One of 

 the best of all the birds, the magnificent woodcock, 

 heads the list. There is a gradual decrease in size and 

 value as marks from the large curlews until we have 

 remaining a few diminutive birds, such as peeps and 

 sanderlings, thoroughly undesirable as marks and 

 worthless as food. We cannot take size, however, as 

 the criterion, since some of the smaller shore birds are, 

 like the diminutive rail and reed-birds, better food than 

 some of the larger. The kill-deer plover, on the other 

 hand, is a fair-sized mark, and is shot often by sports- 

 men, but in my opinion he is too fishy to eat. 



Sportsmen, however, like doctors, differ. Many, no 

 doubt, will continue to shoot both kill-deer and the 

 smaller marks, which should be left to pipe and whistle 

 in the marsh or run gracefully from the waves on 



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