344 GAME BIRDS. WILD-FOWL AND SHORE BIRDS. 



the middle of the nineteenth century, great flights of Golden 

 Plover sometimes passed over New England in the fall migra- 

 tion. Severe easterly storms checked their flights or drove 

 them inland from the sea, and they occasionally settled and 

 fed in our fields. They were exceedingly abundant at times 

 along the Connecticut River valley and on the hills of Worces- 

 ter County, Mass. 



Such flights as these may have come direct from the north- 

 west, but the greatest flights which landed here were those of 

 the main body of birds which came down the coast from the 

 arctic regions, or crossed Labrador and took flight thence, by 

 the sea route direct for South America. A great part of the 

 species came down the Atlantic from Labrador, Newfoundland 

 or Nova Scotia, and sometimes, leaving the land in fair weather, 

 they met a circular cyclonic storm at sea coming up the coast, 

 and were buffeted, driven back and carried over toward the 

 coast by that westerly motion of its border known as a north- 

 easter or a southeaster, according to its direction, which, 

 blowing with irresistible force, landed them on the shores of 

 New England. A tempest with thunder, lightning and a 

 heavy downpour of rain often had the same effect. Under 

 such conditions they were driven to our coasts in immense 

 numbers, and tales are told still, among the natives of Cape 

 Cod, of the enormous flights of Plover which their fathers and 

 grandfathers saw. Some of these flocks are remembered still 

 by living witnesses. Mr. John M. Winslow of Nantucket tells 

 me that Mr. Peter Folger, one of his former shooting com- 

 panions, awaking one morning in the 40's found a great storm 

 raging, and it seemed to him as he looked out from his window 

 that it was "raining Plover." He and Deacon David N. 

 Edwards loaded up with ammunition, dividing a bag of shot 

 between them. Three times during that forenoon they were 

 obliged to go down to the pond and wash out their guns. They 

 shot until 3 p.m., and killed Plover enough to fill a tip cart 

 two-thirds full. The captain of a cod-fishing vessel then in 

 the harbor, bound for New York, agreed to take the birds to 

 New York for them, and to give them half of what he received. 

 He returned them twenty-five dollars. Mr. Edwards said 



