AUTUMN ON THE MOORS 235 



Here is a note on the subject relating to the golden 

 plover: — October 31st (1882). — To-day, in fine warm 

 sunshine, observed the plovers persistently chasing- each 

 other, repeating the while their pretty love -note of 

 the spring. There was a large pack, perhaps 200, all 

 evidently in exuberant spirits — now high in the clouds, 

 then suddenly darting earthwards in a hundred curving 

 lines like falling stars, right to the very heather, whence 

 they rose again to reunite in close order in the skies, when 

 the pack would again shiver into atoms, dashing headlong 

 in every direction. 



In reference to the spring-note of the golden plover, 

 it is delightful on bright October mornings, to hear 

 the absolutely perfect imitation of it that is produced 

 by the common starling. In some old trees around my 

 house a colony of these have their headquarters, and 

 frequently astonish a stranger by their exquisite re- 

 production of this wild gurgling note, as well as of the 

 spring whistle of the curlew. This latter, at any rate, 

 they cannot have heard for some six months ; while the 

 plover's spring-note always appeared to me absolutely 

 incapable of imitation. The starling's memory is as good 

 as are his powers of mimicry. 



It may here be appropriately added that the common 

 blackbird also renders, in very fair style, this spring-note 

 of the plovers ; and imitates, besides, the song of the ring- 

 ouzel. This, however, is always in June. During the 

 present summer (June, 1906), a blackbird close to the 

 house, has picked up the triple cry of the redshank ! 



By the middle of October, skylarks, which a fortnight 

 before had abounded, have disappeared ; and the titlarks 

 follow them at the end of the month. I have a note that 

 in a week's shooting at that period on the "white grass" 



