WILLET, OK STONE-CURLEW. 301 



Shooters most frequently go after these birds in small boats, on 

 the inlets and guts that intersect the marshes which they, in com- 

 mon with curlews, plover, &c. frequent. 



DESCRIPTION. 



" Length fifteen inches ; extent thirty inches ; upper parts dark 

 olive-brown; the feathers streaked down the centre and crossed 

 with waving lines of black; wing-coverts light olive-ash, and the 

 whole upper parts sprinkled with touches of dull yellowish- white ; 

 primaries black, white at the root-half; secondaries white, bordered 

 with brown ; rump dark brown ; tail rounded, twelve feathers pale 

 olive, waved with bars of black; tail-coverts white, barred with 

 olive; bill pale lead-color, becoming black towards the tip; eye 

 very black ; chin white ; breast beautifully mottled with transverse 

 spots of olive on a cream ground ; belly and vent white, the last 

 barred with olive ; legs and feet pale lead-color ; toes half-webbed. 



" Towards the fall, when these birds associate in large flocks, 

 they become of a pale dun color above, the plumage being shafted 

 with dark brown, and the tail white, or nearly so. At this season 

 they are extremely fat, and esteemed excellent eating. Ex 

 perienced gunners always select the lightest-colored ones from a 

 flock, as being uniformly the fattest. The female of this species is 

 generally larger than the male.' 



Willets, as other shore-birds, have a strong affection for their 

 young, or for a companion in distress, and are ever ready to turn 

 from their course to offer assistance at the first call for aid, regard- 

 less of all consequences. 



