THE CURLEW. 185 



insular rocks about the southern entrance of the bay •* — keeping 

 up all the while a softly guttural concert, seemingly of congra- 

 tulation or affection, quite the reverse of their ordinary harsh 

 cry.f Here, the station being unapproachable without their cog- 

 nizance, they remain in perfect security until the ebbing tide has 

 again exposed the sandbank that they left, and just then, with 

 unerring certainty, they return, well knowing that their feeding- 

 ground, at a sufficient distance from the shore to keep them 

 safe from fowlers, is again uncovered. They leave this asylum of 

 safety — not as they started for it, in a large body, but in small 

 detached flocks, flying low and silently, or rarely uttering their low 

 guttural note. They appear consecutively over the western point 

 of Holywood rabbit-warren, and all hold the same course onwards 

 until they are again spread over the zostera-covered banks. The 

 period of their absence depends on whether the tides be " high" 

 or " low :" two hours after their departure, I have observed them 

 to return. In the season when whimbrels are here, these birds 

 accompany the curlews in then* tidal flights. 



The above is their ordinary proceeding. The following note 



* The first time I had evidence — circumstantial, at least — of their place of resort, 

 appears from the following note : — 



Bangor, Sept. 10, 1835. "When near Groomsport to-day, during high water, I saw 

 a great number of curlews, stationed on small insulated rocks adjacent to the shore. 

 The sight of these birds solved what had hitherto been a mystery to me, namely, 

 whither the curlews fly when the tide covers the oozy banks of Belfast Bay. 

 From the numbers which were here, this is doubtless their resort ; not one was 

 feeding, but all were motionlessly awaiting the falling of the waters, with their 

 heads turned in the same direction. I recollect, in the summer of 1833, seeing a 

 small rock at the Skerries, near Portrush, in like manner covered with curlews at 

 high water : doubtless they were remaining there for a similar reason. 



t It is requisite to state, that since the above was written, a line of railway has 

 been carried across the little bay described. The proceedings of the curlews, 

 however, are still the same. On the evenings of the 15th and 16th of August, 1849, 

 I happened to be on the Kinnegar, near Holywood, at the time of their flying down 

 the bay, and was much interested by remarking — though great changes have taken 

 place in the locality — the entire procedure as it was a quarter of a century ago. 

 The first flock, consisting of about a hundred birds, appeared in the form of a semi- 

 circle, and was followed, after a short interval, by a similar number, broken into four 

 or five flocks of different size ; these, again, were followed by a few which alighted 

 within the inner bay of the Kinnegar. Both large and small flocks, as they advanced, 

 approximated to the wedge-form in front, though the two sides of the flock were, as 

 usual, of most unequal length. 



