24 ^ NATURALIST IN THE MAGDALEN ISLANDS. 



darting in and out of the undergrowth, while an occasional 

 Crow sailed slowly across the road, until perceiving us he 

 w^ould hurry away, uttering a parting " caw " of joy at his 

 supposed lucky escape. Curlew were very abundant, but 

 shy, as they always are. At times, large flocks would rise 

 from the fields and fly silently for a few hundred yards 

 before again alighting in some field more secure from obser- 

 vation ; and sometimes, although none could be seen, their 

 soft, trilling whistle would be heard, as though some watch 

 ful sentinel was giving notice to his companions of our 

 whereabouts. 



As we crossed the beach to our " stands " large flocks of 

 Plover and Yellowlegs started up in front of us, but they did 

 not fly far, the wind being too strong for them to remain 

 long exposed to it. 



Hardly had I got fairly settled in my box before a flock of 

 about a dozen Blackbreast Plover settled among my decoys, 

 from which I bagged four with the first barrel, and another 

 with the second. I had just picked them up, and was 

 returning to the " stand," when a Hudsonian Godwit lit 

 among the decoys without paying the slightest attention to 



