SHORE SHOOTING ON FOOT. 5 



remarking here that Greenshanks on the wing can be told from Redshanks by 

 their longer bodies and more mellow note. 



Apart from the probability of stalking something in the drain itself, 

 perhaps a Little Stint or a Curlew-Sandpiper, there is also the chance of 

 seeing some good Wader on the wing in the distance, in which case you can 

 crouch under the nearer bank and try to whistle him over. A newly arrived 

 Godwit or Whimbrel will in the majority of cases respond, and, if you only 



IN A TIDAL DRAIN. 



keep still long enough, a good shot is almost sure to result. In fact, merely 

 waiting in a favourite channel is in most cases attended with more success 

 than promiscuous following, especially late in the day when you have discovered 

 the direction of the evening flight. But it is not such an easy matter as it 

 would appear. The mud is so soft that to remain stationary for more than a 

 few seconds is to be submerged up to the knees with the prospect of being 

 converted into a fixture, if you happen to be far from the bank. " Facilis 

 descensus Averni" glibly murmurs Virgil ; and the remark is equally true of 



