SANDPIPERS 187 



1607, p. 408) ; but this is a mere surmise. Possibly 

 the name "Knot" may be derived from its habit 

 of sitting " bunched up," as the fowlers term it. 

 While waiting on the beach for the ebb-tide to 

 leave the mud-flats on which they feed, these birds 

 may be seen sitting knotted up, as it were, with 

 their heads buried in the feathers of their backs. 

 But see Newton, Diet. Birds, p. 498. 



The Knot, like the Lapwing, was formerly held 

 in great esteem for the table, and large numbers 

 were taken in nets, kept in mews and fattened, 

 as appears by old "Household Books." A MS. in 

 the Sloane Coll. Brit. Mus., 1592, 8 Cat. 633, de- 

 scribes " The maner of kepyng of Knotts after 

 Sir William Askew and my Lady, given to my 

 Lord Darcy, 25 Hen. VIII." 



In summer, the Knot, like the Bar-tailed Godwit 

 and Curlew Sandpiper, has the under parts of a bright 

 bay colour, and the back prettily variegated with 

 black and brown ; in winter the under parts are 

 white, the dorsal plumage grey. The young of the 

 year have buflf-coloured breasts. 



A white Knot shot at Maldon, Essex, was in the 

 collection of the late F. Bond {Zool, 1883, p. 377). 



Saxby had little doubt that this species occasion- 

 ally breeds in the northern parts of Shetland, for he 

 had observed and shot the birds in perfect summer 

 plumage in June, while later in the year he met 

 with the young so weak upon the wing that they 

 rather fluttered than flew. Eggs resembling those 

 of the Reeve, but not so sharply pointed, were once 



