ESQUIMAUX OR SHORT-BILLED CURLEW. 289 



bird, as their meat soon becomes coarse and sedgy after their arri- 

 val among us. In the North, they keep more to the open grounds 

 of the interior, and consequently feed chiefly on seeds, insects, and 

 berries. Their flesh at such times is pronounced delicious, and 

 even delicate. We have shot them within a few days after their 

 arrival among us from the North, and always found them more 

 palatable than at any other time. When these birds associate 

 with field-plovers and frequent the meadow-lands, their flesh is 

 quite passable, and even sometimes quite savory; but it is not 

 often that they are found in such good company. Curlews are 

 very shy, and require much caution to approach. They fly with 

 great rapidity when frightened, and require a good blow to bring 

 them down. There are many ways of shooting this bird: the 

 favorite plan is rowing through the inlets and guts in a boat, and 

 killing them as they fly backward and forward to their different 

 feeding-grounds, or coming upon them by stealth, when, unsus- 

 picious of danger, they are socially feeding, in company with other 

 waders, on the insects and shell-fish that they find on the bars and 

 points along the creeks. Great caution, silence, and a consider- 

 able degree of manoeuvring, are necessary to follow this sport with 

 much success, as these birds are extremely shy and easily put to 

 flight. When approaching them, keep near to the shore, and also 

 under cover of the land : it will also be frequently necessary to 

 get out of the boat and make a long detour, so as to get in the 

 rear of the birds : we have often obtained a raking shot at beach- 

 fowl in this way. 



If one be wounded, he should be made use of as a decoy for 

 others, as they are very kindly in their feelings, and show a great 

 desire always to assist a distressed companion, whom they will fly 

 around for a considerable time, and thus offer many opportunities 

 to kill several before leaving the spot. For all kinds of coast- 

 birds, when shooting from a boat, it is best to have a gun in re- 

 serve, as the most of them are enticed within reach by the cries of 

 a winged bird, and the second volley in such cases is oftentimes 



the most destructive. 



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