370 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. 



however, remain and fly round and round in small 

 flocks till the mud reappears. I have watched whole 

 flocks of them trying to pitch on the first little hit of 

 mud they can see, forty or fifty trying to stand on a 

 place that will not hold more than three or four, the 

 outsiders always being pushed into the water till they 

 are out of their depth, when they are obliged to fly ; 

 however, they generally contrive to pitch again in the 

 middle and shove others into the water; and this 

 goes on till the water has receded far enough to 

 allow space for the whole on the mud. 



In Kent the fishermen and mud- diggers appear 

 to have a curious method of enticing the Curlews 

 within shot, and as it illustrates rather an odd habit 

 in the birds, I have copied the following account of 

 their method from the * Zoologist' for 1866 (Second 

 Series, p. 124) : " They take a trained dog, as much 

 like a fox as possible : after hiding in a dyke they 

 send the dog out on the mud-flats left bare by 

 the receding tide : as soon as the Curlews see the 

 animal they almost invariably attack it, flying round 

 and round, uttering loud yells and occasionally 

 making a pounce at it : the dog, who understands 

 his business well, beats a retreat towards the spot 

 where his master lies hidden. The Curlews follow 

 up their success with vigour, but to their confusion ; 

 for as soon as they are well within range the man 

 shoots one, and reloading does the same again : so 

 engaged are they with the dog that sometimes as 



