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  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  October. 
  This 
  species 
  is 
  well 
  represented 
  during 
  the 
  spring 
  migration, 
  

   but 
  like 
  most 
  of 
  our 
  shore 
  birds 
  is 
  more 
  common 
  in 
  the 
  autumn, 
  and 
  as 
  

   it 
  comes 
  and 
  stays 
  later 
  than 
  the 
  Lesser 
  yellow-legs 
  is 
  often 
  called 
  the 
  

   Winter 
  yellow-legs. 
  

  

  The 
  Greater 
  5^ellow-legs, 
  or 
  Varied 
  tattler, 
  frequents 
  both 
  the 
  sandy 
  

   beach, 
  the 
  muddy 
  banks 
  of 
  pools 
  and 
  streams, 
  and 
  the 
  flooded 
  marshes. 
  

   It 
  walks 
  with 
  easy 
  carriage 
  along 
  the 
  strand, 
  or 
  wades 
  far 
  out 
  in 
  the 
  shallows, 
  

   feeding 
  on 
  the 
  small 
  crustaceans 
  and 
  aquatic 
  insects 
  which 
  lurk 
  in 
  the 
  mud 
  

   or 
  among 
  the 
  aquatic 
  plants, 
  also 
  on 
  small 
  fishes 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  sometimes 
  

   taken 
  in 
  considerable 
  numbers 
  from 
  its 
  gullet 
  and 
  stomach. 
  It 
  is 
  wilder 
  

   and 
  more 
  suspicious 
  than 
  many 
  of 
  our 
  shore 
  birds, 
  and, 
  when 
  approached, 
  

   usually 
  takes 
  flight 
  when 
  well 
  out 
  of 
  range, 
  giving 
  voice 
  to 
  its 
  loud 
  penetrat- 
  

   ing 
  whistle 
  which 
  resembles 
  the 
  syllables 
  wheu-wheu-wheu, 
  wheu-wheu. 
  

   These 
  alarm 
  notes 
  are 
  frequently 
  repeated 
  and 
  immediately 
  give 
  notice 
  

   to 
  all 
  the 
  flats 
  and 
  marshes 
  that 
  the 
  sportsman 
  is 
  abroad. 
  This 
  habit 
  has 
  

   given 
  it 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  Telltale 
  tattler 
  in 
  many 
  localities. 
  Its 
  call 
  note 
  is 
  often 
  

   heard 
  at 
  night 
  when 
  the 
  birds 
  are 
  migrating, 
  and 
  during 
  the 
  day 
  I 
  have 
  

   listened 
  to 
  its 
  notes 
  coming 
  from 
  such 
  an 
  elevation 
  that 
  the 
  birds 
  themselves 
  

   could 
  not 
  be 
  distinguished 
  as 
  they 
  passed 
  over 
  me 
  on 
  their 
  southward 
  

   journey. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  common 
  experience 
  also 
  when 
  gunning 
  on 
  the 
  marshes 
  

   to 
  hear 
  the 
  call 
  of 
  these 
  birds 
  from 
  high 
  in 
  the 
  air 
  long 
  before 
  they 
  

   appear, 
  as 
  they 
  stoop 
  from 
  their 
  lofty 
  course 
  to 
  rest 
  and 
  feed 
  for 
  

   a 
  time. 
  

  

  Yellow 
  -legs 
  sometimes 
  gather 
  in 
  large 
  flocks, 
  but 
  usually 
  travel 
  in 
  

   small 
  companies 
  of 
  six 
  or 
  seven 
  birds, 
  and 
  do 
  not 
  bunch 
  so 
  closely 
  as 
  some 
  

   shore 
  birds 
  when 
  alighting 
  among 
  decoys, 
  a 
  fortunate 
  circmnstance, 
  which, 
  

   combined 
  with 
  its 
  suspicious 
  nature, 
  is 
  likely 
  to 
  prove 
  the 
  salvation 
  of 
  the 
  

   species. 
  In 
  the 
  fall 
  they 
  become 
  very 
  fat, 
  and 
  are 
  esteemed 
  by 
  some 
  as 
  

   game, 
  but 
  to 
  my 
  palate 
  its 
  flesh 
  is 
  too 
  strong 
  in 
  flavor, 
  but 
  this, 
  as 
  in 
  other 
  

   species, 
  probably 
  depends 
  upon 
  the 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  birds 
  for 
  some 
  time 
  previous 
  

   to 
  their 
  capture. 
  

  

  