they are. I mean the salterns or saltings, i.e. tracts of land without the sea wall, and covered by the sea at high water, more or less completely, according to the state of the tide. These are intersected by multitudes of rills and creeks,[1] in such manner that, except by following the sheep-paths, it is difficult to make progress in any direction, without crossing a rill, for a space of a hundred yards, and almost impossible to proceed fifty in the same straight line.
I have spent many hours, at all seasons of the year, on these salterns, and among the birds which are to be found in such places one of the most common is the redshank (Totanus Calidris, Selby). When the tide has gone down, it is generally to be found in various parts of the creeks, in the bottom of which a small stream of muddy water moves along. Here, by taking advantage of the windings of the creek, and showing yourself as little as possible, you may surprise these wary and vigilant birds, and, at the least, shoot at them, if such be your object; but it does not follow as a matter of course that you will kill them, even supposing your aim to have been correct. Frequently have I, when thinking myself sure of my bird, on pulling the trigger, seen it dart perpendicularly upwards before I was myself aware that the charge was ignited, so that when my shot "told" in the mud below them, they were flying in safety eight or ten feet higher than they were when my sight was taken. Its quick eye must have caught the almost imperceptible flash which issues from the cap,—as is certainly the case with some of the water birds: I may mention the great northern diver (Colymbus glacialis), the crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus), the teal (Anas Crecca), &c. It is possible the motion of the hammer may be seen too, but I think that that of itself is insufficient to make the bird deviate from its line of flight. I am not aware that any other bird has this habit: those I have referred to as escaping from the shot on seeing the flash, do it by quitting one element for another,—the air for the water,—and not by deviating from their course on the wing. As may be supposed, this took place more commonly when a flint gun was used, but it was by no means invariable even in that case.
While the tide is at its height, and their feeding grounds consequently deep under water, they sit, unless disturbed, on some small temporary island of a few feet or paces in diameter, formed by a part of the salterns which happens to be of a higher level than the rest;
- ↑ The creeks are deep muddy arteries, as it were, to the arm of the sea, whence they proceed, varying much in width; the rills are the veins, much narrower than (he creeks.
