AUTUMN ON THE MOORS 197 



Following is an instance in point. On September 15th, 

 my setter flushed a bird which, from its size, slow flight, 

 and general appearance, I felt assured was Scolopax 

 major. With intense keenness, I followed the line, and 

 after infinite hunting, the dog found again. I then picked 

 up, from a tuft of rough grass under her nose, a wounded 

 golden plover ! 



Solitary snipes, at least those obtained in the north of 

 England, are invariably young birds in nestling-dress, 

 that have been hatched the preceding spring — exactly as 

 is the case with curlew-sandpipers, greenshanks, spotted 

 redshanks, both species of stint and other allied birds that 

 also pass southwards along the coast at this season. Adults 

 of all these are wholly unknown, and must go south by 

 a different route — that is, only once in their lives (if ever) 

 do these travel via England. The few solitary snipes 

 obtained here in September are always extremely fat and 

 in higher condition than the common snipes at that period ; 

 that being evidently a provision of Nature's for an 

 extended journey, since already by October the solitary 

 snipes have reached South Africa, before commencing to 

 moult their flight-feathers. 



My uncle, Mr G. E. Crawhall, shot a solitary snipe at 

 Eshott, on Coquet, September 12th (1872), and also 

 killed, while we were shooting together in Weardale, the 

 only quail I have ever seen in this country. It rose from 

 a hill-stubble above Frosterley : this was on September 

 22nd (1870). I have since heard a pair of quails (whose 

 dactylic note is well known to me in Spain) in growing 

 hay, on May 28th. No doubt they were nesting there ; 

 and a quail's nest with ten eggs was recently found, while 

 hay-cutting, on Yetholm Law, Roxburghshire. 



While touching on the scarcer game-birds may be 



