XLII 



BAY BIRD SHOOTING 



THE shore birds or waders other than the wood- 

 cock, snipe, and upland plover or Bartramian 

 sandpiper may all be considered together, so far as the 

 shooting is concerned, under the familiar title bay birds. 

 Throughout the entire length of our sea-coasts, about 

 the bays, lagoons, inlets, and salt marshes, most of the 

 varieties may be seen late in the spring upon their 

 northern migration, and at the end of summer return- 

 ing southward with the young of the year. 



When going to shoot the bay birds I would advise 

 the sportsman to put up with some local gunner or 

 fisherman, so as to be on or near the ground, excepting, 

 of course, those sportsmen who belong to the clubs, or 

 have an invitation to shoot on club preserves. In ad- 

 dition to the advantage of being on or near the ground 

 the sportsman domiciled with a local gunner will have 

 the advantage of his advice, and without much diffi- 

 culty will reach the points frequented by the birds. 

 Although he may have a fair knowledge of the habits 

 of the birds, it is all important to know what they are 

 doing in a given locality ; what particular marsh, flat, 

 point, or mud-hole they may be using, and the most 

 likely places for a blintl. For several years during my 

 residence at Yale I had an arrangement with a market 

 gunner at Shinnecock Bay. He had a neat and tidy 



887 



