* 
140 Gunners from Banff. — [oHAP. VII. 
would have done, I laid myself down in a hollow till morn- 
ing, to wait their first appearance, in the hope of attaining 
my object. It proved a wet and windy night ; but daylight 
brought with it a fine morning. With it also came two gun- 
ners from Banff, striding along the beach on a shooting 
excursion. This vexed me to the very heart. The birds 
were not yet astir, but I knew they would rise at the ap- 
proach of the men, who would doubtless attempt to shoot 
them. Just as I anticipated, up went the birds; crack! 
crack! went the shots; and down fell several birds. Rising 
from my stony couch, I rushed at once to the spot to see 
the victims, and found them all to consist of sanderlings, 
dunlins, and one ringed plover. The gunners were stran- 
gers to me, but I ventured to ask them to abstain from fir- 
ing until I had satisfied myself about the bird I sought; 
but they seemed unable to understand why one bird could 
be of more interest than another, and they told me that, as 
there were plenty of them, I could fire away and take my 
chance, I declined to shoot with them, but eagerly watched 
each time they fired; and if a bird fell, I went and exam- 
ined it; but I did not meet with the one I sought. The 
men at last got tired and went away. 
“It was now my turn; but, unhappily, the birds, from 
being so often fired at, had become extremely shy, so that 
to get near them for my purpose was all but impossible. 
By perseverance, however, I at length made out one, as I 
thought, a good deal smaller than the others. I succeeded 
in creeping a little nearer. They rose; I fired, and down 
fell four. I rushed, breathless, hoping to pick up the bird 
in which I took such interest. But, alas! no. It was not 
there. Away went the remaining birds to the sea; then, 
turning, they rounded a point or headland called Blackpots, 
and disappeared from view. From this, and from their not 
returning, I knew that they had gone to the sands at White- 
hills, about three miles distant, to which place I proceeded. 
But no sooner had I reached there, than back they flew 
” 
