and the Maritime Provinces. 121 



ornithologists, a species that seems to be found all over the world. It 

 passes north in the spring, usually without stopping, but returns by the 

 middle of August, and is very abundant usually by the first of September. 

 It associates with other varieties of shore birds, and seems to fraternize 

 with peeps, yellow legs, and other species indiscriminately. 



" It prefers the sandy beaches to any other feeding-grounds and follows 

 the waves back and forth on the strand with great nimbleness and industry. 

 It is an unsuspicious bird, and after a flock has been fired into it will, after 

 performing a few aerial evolutions, uttering at the same time its soft, 

 whistling note, return to the beach and resume its search for the small 

 shell-fish and crustaceans upon which it feeds. 



"It is a pretty good swimmer and when wounded will, to escape a 

 pursuer, take to the water ; although it becomes very fat I do not regard it, 

 in an epicurean point of view, as desirable as some of the others." 



" There is another shore bird called the ' marlin ' that used to be pretty 

 abundant, but which is now growing scarce," said the Doctor ; ". it is a 

 handsome species, and I used to prize it highly." 



" You mean the great marbled godwit, Limosa fedoa" said I. " Yes, it 

 is rapidly decreasing in numbers. It is called the straight-billed curlew, 

 and red curlew. It is a very suspicious bird, probably from being so 

 much pursued, and is difficult of approach. It associates in small flocks 

 and frequents the shoals and pools on the salt marshes. Like the curlews, 

 when one is wounded, the others, attracted by its struggles and cries, hover 

 around it, and the gunner, in consequence of this affectionate solicitude, 

 sometimes bags the entire flock. The great and increasing army of sports- 

 men will probably exterminate the bird before many years have passed. 

 It is a pity, for it is one of the most delicious table birds we have. The 

 Hudsonian godwit is also becoming scarce. It is called by naturalists the 

 Limosa hccmastica, but was formerly named the Limosa Hudsonka. 



" It is known to gunners as the white-rump, ring-tailed marlin, goose- 

 bird, and black-tail marlin. It has all of the habits of the other godwit, 

 but decoys somewhat more readily. It is such a large bird, its length be- 

 ing fifteen or more inches, that gunners like to bag it." 



" The bird is, then, of about the size of the greater yellow legs," said 

 the Judge. 



"Yes," I replied, "and that is another bird which is decreasing in 

 numbers. It is called the winter yellow legs, yelper, and telltale snipe. It 

 is a very noisy bird, and by imitating its shrill whistle the gunner readily 

 brings it down to his decoys. In some sections it is called the horse-foot 

 snipe on account of its fondness for the spawn of the king crab. It is a 

 very graceful, dignified walker, and is altogether an elegant bird. It some- 

 times mounts high in the air and circles around, uttering its shrill, clear 

 notes. It is called the Totanus melanoleucus, but was formerly named the 

 lot anus vociferus." 



