BAY BIRDS. 335 
may be found around sheltered pools in autumn. When 
these are alarmed they fly rapidly and in silence, but at 
other times they are partial to telling people that they are 
in the neighborhood. The wandering tattler (Heteroscelus 
incanus) is a resident of the Pacific Coast. It is of a 
leadish-gray color above, and white below, shaded and 
barred with gray. 
The marlins, or godwits, seem to be getting scarce in 
several parts of the country, owing, probably, to the in- 
discriminate war waged upon them, for their-size and 
delicacy of flesh make them objects worthy of pursuit. 
The two best are the great-marbled godwit, or humility 
(Limosa fedoa), and the Hudsonian godwit, or white- 
tailed marlin (ZL. hudsonica), which is smaller than the 
former. The great marlin is of a general rufous color, 
variegated above with black, brown, and gray; the bill is 
flesh-colored, tipped with black, and about five inches 
long. It frequents marshy places near the sea-shore, and, 
as it is strong of wing, bagging it is no idle pleasure on 
many occasions. It has a shrill cry, which is odd, loud, 
and rapid. The white-tailed marlin is not so common 
as the preceding, and has a more northern habitat. This 
species is brownish-black above, variegated with gray, 
rufous, and sometimes white; and the under parts are 
reddish, variegated with dusky. The winter plumage is 
grayish, and so is that of the young. 
Curlews, which are very abundant from the Atlantic to 
the Pacific Ocean, breed on high, sandy grounds. The 
nest is a rude affair, which generally holds four eggs 
placed in such a manner that their small ends touch. 
These birds are as cunning as crows, and have such 
trained eyes that, though they may come within an 
aggravating distance of the sportsman, yet they manage 
to keep out of range of his gun, unless he can cir- 
cumvent them. They are clamorous criers, and such 
suspicious creatures that they announce the approach 
