BAY BIRD SHOOTING 293 



degree as you will use up the willets, robins, dow- 

 itchers, marlins, yellow-legs, and black-breasts." A 

 fine salt breeze, however, often blows the mosquitoes 

 away, and a cloud of tobacco-smoke may be sent after 

 them. 



The migrating shore birds which follow the streams 

 of the interior and are found far from salt water, an- 

 nually travelling up and down the valley of the Missis- 

 sippi and its tributaries, are not much shot over decoys. 

 In some places they are quite tame and may be ap- 

 proached within range, and when shot at often will fly 

 away but a short distance, and return again to hover 

 over their dead and dying companions, presenting the 

 easiest kind of shots. As larger game rapidly vanishes 

 more attention is given to the shore birds, and they 

 soon will become wild, and when shot at will fly long 

 distances. 



There are many places in the Western States where 

 the shore birds may be shot over decoys in the same 

 manner as on Long Island, but they are more often 

 shot incidentally by sportsmen who are afield for snipe, 

 or as they pass over the duck-blinds. It is in such ways 

 that I have shot most of the varieties in the Western 

 States. 



The shore birds are fairly abundant at many of the 

 duck preserves, and no doubt as the ducks come in 

 fewer numbers more attention will be given them. At 

 some of the clubs there are full sets of decoys for 

 shore birds. 



