It is a thrilling sight to see a large flock of yel- 

 low-legs, or black-bellied plovers, decoying; and 

 the exchanging of whistles between the flying birds 

 and the hunter adds greatly to the sport. Flocks 

 of small sandpipers will often alight among the 

 decoys, and will prove a great help in decoying 

 larger birds, if unmolested by the sportsman. 



The smaller species seem to realize the intelli- 

 gence and watchfulness of the big snipe, and rely 

 on them for warning in case of danger. The yel- 

 low-leg has been given the name of " tattler " on 

 account of its habit of warning other birds on the 

 approach of a hunter. 



BOATS 



The flat bottom skiff is the best boat to use in 

 snipe shooting. 



The hunter often finds it necessary to follow 

 winding sloughs for long distances. Sometimes 

 they are very shallow, or " peeter out " altogether ; 

 and then he must drag his boat across the mud 

 until another channel is found. 



Mud is the most unpleasant feature of beach 

 bird hunting. It gets on the clothes, and gun ; 

 and if the hunter is unlucky enough to slip and fall, 

 it is doubtful if his best friend would recognize him. 

 A good pole is often useful, as rovsang is tedious in 

 very shallow water. The boat should be light 



15 



