362 CHARADKIID^E 



devoid of cover, is well known to every observer of shore- 

 birds. Each member of the Hock grows uneasy and 

 suspicious should it see an observer watching it even from 

 a distance. Presently a shrill whistle is given forth from a 

 wary veteran, then from a few more birds, soon a dozen 

 or\ more voices are heard as the outlying members wing 

 their way towards the densest p.art of the flock. The alarm 

 rapidly spreads among the ranks, until, with one accord, an 

 immense mass of birds is seen taking wing, accompanied by 

 a babel of whistles of Curlews and other shore-birds. For 

 the warning has by this time reached far and wide, so that 

 Redshanks, Plovers, and other species, growing anxious, 

 also relinquish their feeding-grounds. The Curlew 7 is an 

 unduly timid bird, and will leave the shore at the sight of 

 a man even though far beyond gunshot-range. Most wild- 

 fowl rather shun the society of the Curlew when they 

 can, as its constant note of alarm, sounded unnecessarily 



FIG. 48. HEAD OF CURLEW. 1 Nat. size. 



often, becomes a source of worry and uneasiness. But in 

 foggy weather Curlew can be approached closer on the open 

 strand, and it is extraordinary how much magnified they 

 appear as they stand along the edge of the tranquil tide. 

 In thick weather I have been almost startled as one or 

 two of these great birds, looming out of the fog, uttered a 

 piercing screech immediately over my head, at the same 

 time swerving sharply in its flight the instant that it 

 saw me. 



Flight. The flight, though much less cleaving and 

 twisting than that of the smaller shore-birds, is neverthe- 

 less rapid and sustained. The steady up-and-down wing- 

 strokes remind one of the hurried flight of a Gull. When 

 travelling long distances the birds of a flock may be seen 

 to arrange themselves in a V- shape, or less often in a rather 



