BAT-BIRDS. 175 



ment, and the sky seems to have lost its natural 

 blue and become of a rich brown tint. As these 

 splendid birds, shrieking their hoarse call, set their 

 wings for the stool, and crossing one another in their 

 flight, pause in doubt ; or, after alighting individu- 

 ally, rise again, and hesitate whether to remain or 

 continue their course — the sportsman, cowering in 

 his lair, and anxious to take advantage of this glori- 

 ous opportunity, becomes wUdly eager with excite- 

 ment ; and if, after having by a judicious selection 

 brought several to the ground, he recalls the de- 

 parting flock which again presents itself to his aim, 

 his rapture knows no bounds, and with his reloaded 

 breech-loader, he repeats, perhaps more than once, 

 the exhilarating performance. 



This lordly bird, the largest of the bay-snipe, is 

 often extremely gentle, and may be lured by the 

 imitation of its cry at an immense distance, and 

 brought back to the decoys several times, where one 

 or more of its companions may have fallen ; but at 

 other times it is wild and shy. Individuals difier 

 considerably in size, the largest I ever saw having a 

 bill eleven inches long, and some weighing nearly 

 double as much as others ; but all are of a beautiful 

 reddish-brown or burnt sienna tint, with a yellowish 

 shade on the abdomen. Their flight is steady, and 

 their flesh tough, dark, and oily. Their eye is ex- 

 tremely bright, and their shape graceful. 



" Specific Character. — BUI towards the end de- 

 curved ; upper part of the throat, and a band from 

 the bill to the eye, light buff; general plumage, 



