WILLET, OR STONE-CURLEW. 255 



Sliooters 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 bfown ; 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. 



