222 Observation of the Turn-stone. (CHAP. XY. 
Stooping down, and with my gun upon my back prepared 
for action, I managed to crawl through the bents and across 
the shingle for a considerable way. At length I came in 
sight of the two little workers, who were busily endeavor- 
ing to turn over a dead fish which was fully six times their 
size. I immediately recognized them as turn-stones. Not 
wishing to disturb them, and anxious at the same time to 
witness their operations, I observed that a few paces nearer 
them there was a deep hollow among the shingle, which I 
contrived to creep into unobserved. 
“T was now distant from them about ten yards, and had 
a distinct and unobstructed view of all their movements. 
In these there was evinced that extraordinary degree of sa- 
gacity and perseverance which comes under the notice only 
of those who watch the habits of the lower creation with 
patience and assiduity, and which, when fully and accurate- 
ly related, is not unfrequently discredited by individuals 
who, although fond of natural history, seem inclined to be- 
lieve that every thing in regard to animals must necessarily 
be false, or at least the result of ignorance, unless it has 
been recorded in books which are considered authorities on 
the subject. 
“But to return. Having got fairly settled down in my 
pebbly observatory, I turned my undivided attention to the 
birds before me. They were boldly pushing at the fish 
with their bills, and then with their breasts. Their endeav- 
ors, however, were in vain: the object remained immova- 
ble. On this they both went round to the opposite side, 
and began to scrape away the sand from beneath the fish. 
After removing a considerable quantity, they again came 
back to the spot which they had left, and went once more 
to work with their bills and breasts, but with as little ap- 
parent success as formerly. Nothing daunted, however, 
they ran round a second time to the other side, and recom- 
menced their trenching operations with a seeming deter- 
mination not to be baffled in their object, which evidently 
