THE LOOK 73 



hammering of a woodpecker near at hand. Glancing up I saw 

 a yellow-bellied Sapsncker {Sphirapicus varms) sweep by and 

 alight upon a tree near by, but upon seeing me he retired 

 around the trunk leaving nothing but his head exposed to view. 

 I fired at him and down he came, whirling around as a bird 

 does when shot in the head. I quickly picked him up before 

 he, in his struggles, could soil his plumage with blood from 

 the wound. This was exceedingly good luck, and, as the old 

 saying is, "luck never comes singly," for to cap the climax a 

 Turkey Vulture ( Cathartes vura) came and lit on a tree not 

 fifty feet away. I carefully crawled forward and shot him — 

 making the sixth bird for me inside of half an hour. 



I have, while skinning birds, noticed that no sooner had I 

 commenced than dozens of these ungainly birds would come 

 flocking around within twenty feet of me and watch with 

 greedy eyes the operation. Occasionally I would throw a bit 

 of meat to them, and of all the scrambling and fighting for 

 that piece of meat ! Each one would try to swallow the meat 

 before the others, and their large, horny beaks actually clashed 

 together as they struggled for the coveted morsel. 



But to proceed. I returned to the shore and continued walk- 

 ing along, when I discovered ahead a flock of sanderlings 

 {Caladris arenaria.) I crawled carefully forward and suc- 

 ceeded in obtaining one out of the flock. A little further 

 along I discovered a Black-billed Plover calmly stalking along 

 the shore. This would be a prize worth having if I only could 

 get him. I carefully crawled along behind the levee and upon 

 arriving opposite to him I poked my gun through the inter- 

 stices of the sow palmetto and fired. Quickly dropping my 

 gun I ran forward and found to my joy that I had shot him 

 stone dead and that there was very little blood upon him. I 



