THE KNOTS. 235 



very easily imitated, is one of the most familiar to shore-shooters 

 at that period of the year. It often associates with flocks of 

 Dunlins, and rests with them on the shingle at high tide, and 

 feeds with them on the mud-flats when the water has receded. 

 Although, as recorded above, I have been witness to the migra- 

 tion of Knots by day, I have also heard them passing over 

 London by night, and have many times whistled to them from 

 the top of Primrose Hill. In the old days of shore-shooting at 

 Pagham Harbour, when I have been waiting for the dawn, I have 

 seen them arrive from the north at daybreak, and have whistled 

 them down from the sky. These arrivals are nearly always young 

 birds, and they appeared so glad to know that some of their 

 species were in the neighbourhood, that they have often 

 descended to within twenty yards of my boat and commenced 

 to feed ravenously. When seen at such a close distance, the 

 Knot is an extremely pretty bird, and can easily be distinguished 

 from other shore birds by its plump appearance. When flying 

 it utters a musical note like the syllables im-tili, tiii-tiii. 



Nest. — Described as being placed close to a stream and 

 composed of a few leaves and dried grass loosely put 

 together. 



Eggs. — Lieutenant Greely — who took an egg fully developed 

 from the body of a female Knot— told Mr. Seebohm that it was a 

 very handsome egg, very boldly blotched, and about as large as 

 that of the Common Snipe. My friend Mr. J. T. Thomasson was 

 recently informed by Captain Bendire that, up to the present 

 time, there is no authentic egg of the Knot in the United States 

 National Museum at Washington. One egg is in the British 

 Museum, to which it was presented by the late Mr. Seebohm, 

 who states that it was from a clutch of four sent with the parent 

 bird from Disco in Greenland to Mr. Versler in Copenhagen, 

 who had received it from Mr. Bolbroe, the original captor. 

 The egg is of an olive stone-colour with the usual spots, and 

 confluent blotches of reddish-brown or black congregating near 

 the large end of the egg and mixed with the under-lying grey 

 markings, which are very prominent. It looks exactly like the 

 kind of egg one might expect the Knot to lay. Axis, i -6 inches ; 

 diam., I'l. 



