CUKLEW 361 



they can see in the dark. I have a vivid recollection of an 

 experience with these birds along the shores of a small 

 freshwater lake, in the co. Clare. My friend, the Eev. S. 

 W. King, accompanied me, and as we seated ourselves on 

 a boulder to rest after a hard day's shooting, hundreds of 

 Curlews alighted close to our feet. The dusk of evening had 

 already set in, and as the birds continued to alight, one 

 after the other, there was a constant * swish ' of wings which 

 went on for fully half an hour after we arrived. Greater 

 and greater grew the flock, until presently we listened with 

 rapt attention to the chattering of scores of voices, and the 

 scraping of many beaks, amid the loose stones which sur- 

 rounded us. After a while the moon more than half full 

 peeped from behind a great white rolling cloud, and, casting 

 her beams earthward, revealed to us that we were surrounded 

 by thousands of Curlews all unconscious of our presence. 

 After a few minutes more had elapsed we singled out two 

 birds somewhat apart from the others, and firing simul- 

 taneously, shot them. At the report, a gigantic flock arose 

 with almost deafening cries, but strange to say, the birds 

 did not appear to see us or to know from whence the shot 

 came, for, to our surprise, they wheeled round our heads 

 and alighted again in the same spot. Here we left them 

 feeding busily as before. 



In frosty weather, Curlews often scatter themselves over 

 the country, frequenting fallowed fields, ditches, and wet 

 meadows. If the weather be exceptionally severe the weakly 

 ones perish from hunger, the ground becoming too hard for 

 their long and slender beaks to penetrate. I have been 

 informed that Curlews have been captured when endeavour- 

 ing to extricate their beaks from frost-bound and stony soil. 

 That such ill-fate may overtake these birds is not altogether 

 improbable as the beak is very long and distinctly decurved 

 in shape, and in all likelihood it cannot be withdrawn from 

 the ground as easily as the straight beak of the Woodcock 

 or Snipe. 



The Curlew has been observed at lightships, and on 

 lonely rock-islands, some distance from the mainland, for at 

 times it will wander many miles out to sea. I have seen 

 flat-topped islands, elevated sand-banks, and rocks, crowded 

 with these birds waiting patiently for the fall of the 

 tide. In some districts they will fly several miles inland, 

 returning precisely as the tide begins to ebb. Their 

 watchfulness when feeding, especially on the ooze-flats 



