300 SHORE BIRDS 



and telltales. They often come whistling- past the 

 gunner when he is shooting wood-duck or teal in 

 September, and upon such occasions and when snipe- 

 shooting in the spring I have killed many of them. I 

 had a chance to observe them quite closely a year ago 

 in the autumn, when sketching in the Ottawa marshes 

 south of Lake Erie. One day I had for some time a 

 lot of these birds quite near me, and there were also 

 in the water beyond mallards, teal, dusky ducks, and 

 some others, all within range, and a number of snipe 

 were boring along the shore. It was just before the 

 shooting season opened, and the birds were on the 

 preserve of the VVinous Point Club. 



The yellow-legs are marked with black and white. 

 The head, neck, and under parts are w^hite streaked 

 with black. The lesser bird is about the size of the 

 Wilson snipe ; the other is considerably larger. They 

 are easily distinguished by their long legs, which are 

 of a bright Naples yellow. They are found along the 

 sea-shore and were formerly abundant, but they are 

 now far more numerous about the Western ponds 

 than in the East. They come well to the decoys, 

 especially when the gunner is familiar with and can 

 imitate their whistle. 



The greater yellow-legs breeds in the far North, 

 occasionally in the United States. I have shot these 

 birds in many places, more often in Ohio, Indiana* 

 Illinois, and Dakota when in pursuit of other game. I 

 have not the patience required to sit in a blind and 

 whistle bay birds when there are snipe on the mead- 

 ows or woodcock in the woods or wood-duck or teal 

 to be "jumped" out of the wild rice. Imuch prefer 



