TELL-TALE GODWIT, OR SNIPE. 85 
part of Chatteaux Bay, continually nodding their heads, 
and were called there stone curlews.* 
The tell-tale seldom flies in large flocks, at least 
during summer. It delights in watery bogs, and the 
muddy margins of creeks and inlets ; is either seen 
searching about for food, or standing in a watchful 
posture, alternately raising and lowering the head, and, 
on the least appearance of danger, utters its shrill 
whistle, and mounts on wing, generally accompanied 
by all the feathered tribes that are near. It occasion- 
ally penetrates inland along the muddy shores of our 
large rivers, seldom higher than tide water, and then 
singly and solitary. They sometimes rise to a great 
height in the air, and can be distinctly heard when 
beyond the reach of the eye. In the fall, when they 
are fat, their flesh is highly esteemed, and many of 
them are brought to our markets. The colours and 
markings of this bird are so like those of the preceding, 
that, unless in point of size, and the particular curva- 
ture of the bill, the description of one might serve for 
both. 
The tell-tale is fourteen inches and a half long, and 
twenty-five inches in extent ; the bill is two inches 
and a quarter long, of a dark horn colour, and slightly 
bent upwards ; the space round the eye, chin, and 
throat, pure white ; lower part of the neck, pale ashy 
white, speckled with black ; general colour of the 
upper parts, an ashy brown, thickly spotted with black 
and dull white, each feather being bordered and spotted 
on the edge with black ; wing-quills, black ; some of the 
primaries, and all of the secondaries, with their coverts, 
spotted round the margins with black and white ; head 
and neck above, streaked with black and white ; belly 
and vent, pure white; rump, white, dotted with black; 
tail, also white, barred with brown ; the wings, when 
closed, reach beyond the tail; thighs, naked, nearly 
two inches above the knees ; legs, two inches and three 
quarters long; feet, four-toed, the outer joined by a 
Arctic Zoology , p. 468. 
