Los Angeles herald., 1892-10-30

days they were open. to the public, and
it was there got my "baptism OF fire"
with such accomplished hunters and ex-
cellent shots as John Hendrickson, Platt
Oakes, Jerry Allaby and Elkanah Jarvis,
all long since gone over to the majority.
Forty-ive years have rolled over my
head since first viewed those charm
ing scenes.
THE CURLEw TRIBE.
There are seven or eight branches of
this family, and their habits on this
coast are essentially different from what
they are at the east. There they are
only to be found along the sea beach
darting into the surf after each receding
wave and hurrying back on nimble feet
as each breaker seeks the sands with its
sullen boom. On the Pacific coast they
are to be found chiefly in the vast tules
of Yolo, Solano and San Joaquin coun-
ties while, further north, the vast
rocky plains of the Columbia valley are
alive with them in October and Novem-
ber, when the bunch-grass seeds begin
to get ripe. These are very toothsome
birds after such diet for month or 90.
The largest of these is the great Spanish
curlew or "sicklebill," as he is some
times called, and he is OF rich cinna-
mon color, with black spots on his back
and wings. Next in size comes the
marbled godwit, very much like the
Spanish curlew in feathers, but having
straight bill, which leads to his being
called the Virginia woodcock by New
Jersey hunters. The third in size is q
sickle-billed bird, about two-thirds the
size of the Spanish curlew. He is known
as the jack curlew, and goes in bigger
focks than his larger congener. Next
Hudsonian godwit, or fiote, as the Long
saw great numbers of these birds in New
Zealand four years ago, where they are
called whimbrels, which is probably a
more proper appellation than either
godwit or fiote. These birds all live on
larvae and grubs, but would prefer grass
seeds if they could get them, and 8
change of diet in this respect makes q
very great difference in the flavor Of the
bird.
THE FLOWERS IN DETAIL.
The most common of all these birds
is the sea-plover or "willet," very wild
and wiry bird found on the Pacific coast
as well as on the Atlantic, but not in as
great numbers. He is dull gray on the
back, with white breast and short
strong bill, by aid of which he turns
over small stonesrn search of his food.
The willet and the Hudsonian godwit
are about one size. Next comes the
gray plover, which is also the plover of
the Scotch highlands. He has more
names in America than Brighton beach
race horse. East of the Connecticut
river he is called the "bull plover,"
while in Long Island and New Jersey he
is known as the 'bestle plover." South
OF the capes of Virginia he lie known as
the 'blackbreast plover," and in the
Louisiana lowlands he is called the
'papillote" by the Creole planters. He
is a very toothsome bird and often
rewards the hunter with big flock shot,
Next to him comes the king of all this
tribe-the golden plover, which leads all
other birds ut banquet. These birds
have tiny yellow spots upon the back
and were first discovered on Long Island
Being very shy and wary, it was impos'
| sible to approach them with dog, &c
| they used to shoot them out of wagon.
cites made with seats like the letter 7
| In this way the shooters would sit back
to back and take the birds to the right
or left, just as they might happen to fly
| They are very scarce on this coast and
have never killed them south OF the Bit.
| ter Root river in. Montana. The spur.
| wing plOver of Australia, which takes
its name from small horn or spur on
| the second joint of the wing. is not
| found anywhere else in the world. II
ia a very pretty bird and an excellent
one for the table.
THE KILDEERs AND REDsHANKS,
always to be found where a shallow
stream of water crosses desert, belong
to still another family of birds and
while they are semi-polmated (half.
webbed) they never attempt to swim like
the tiny beach birds that GO in such
enormous focks along the seashore
| Speaking of these little birds reminds
me to say that once killed over 200 o.
them in one day ct Ilwaco, near the
mouth of the Columbia river. My pagan
I. cook took in the situation at glance
Instead of going to the trouble of pluck.
ing the feathers, he deliberately gutted
and skinned each bird, sticking them OF
| to skewers with-a thin bit of bacon be-
| tween every two birds and broiling then
| over fire of oak Goals. In this
way he gave us the bonn'
bouche of season that ha(
bossted no end of trout. grouse and ven
ison. But of all game birds on thi
coast the English snipe is the chief. Th
quail comes along at respectful dis
tance behind him, to my notion. Yo,
can fix up the quail into dozen sorts Q
dishes, and he is toothsome morsel
but for the snipe there is only broil o.
the gridiron and drop of lime juic
and cayenne pepper. ALI other condi