308 The Water-fowl Family 



boat, anchored close to a marsh, where with the 

 first break of day we shall be hidden in a seaweed 

 blind behind a stand of decoys. We have our 

 supper of broiled birds, and eat a big one, then sit 

 and smoke a bit and turn in. It isn't a perfectly 

 comfortable bunk. Further particulars are not nec- 

 essary ; but we sleep just the same, and when the 

 time comes to wake up, even the thought of cur- 

 lew doesn't make us lively — but this is only tem- 

 porary. We get breakfast ; Davy puts us ashore 

 and carries a big basket of decoys up to the blind ; 

 he sets them out and leaves us ; the tide is just 

 right, and in a few minutes it will be fairly light. 

 A whistle off to the left indicates curlew are about, 

 and we keep a careful lookout. A flock of six 

 suddenly appears in front of us without warning ; 

 they catch the establishment unawares and shy 

 off, but we see a pair following in their wake and 

 call them up. Curlew do not often alight to de- 

 coys here, for the blinds are large and conspicu- 

 ous and not on the feeding-ground ; but they often 

 fly by in range, and so did this particular pair, with 

 the result that there were two less curlew on Broad- 

 water. A flock of dowitchers now curve around 

 the stool and give us a hovering shot ; four or five 

 escape, but come back and hover some more with 

 disastrous results ; a pair of laughing gulls and 

 any number of terns protest against such actions, 

 with no avail. Some more curlew; there are any 



