257 



THE GOLDEN PLOVER (Charadrius pluvialis). 



The first records were of the arrival of three Golden Plovers at the 

 Pentland Skerries on the 5th of July and one at Fair Isle (Shetland) on 

 the 6th. From the 12th to the end of the month migratory movements 

 on the coast of Scotland were noted at many places. 



During the whole of August these movements continued to take 

 place in Scotland. Several birds were observed going north in North- 

 umberland on the 3rd and 28th and many on the 16th. Large flocks 

 arrived in Cheshire on the 15th, but their numbers had decreased on the 

 24th and all had gone by the 31st. 



In September migration continued throughout the month in Scotland. 

 At Holy Island (Northumberland) from sixty to eighty were reported 

 between the 15th and 26th, but these had nearly all gone by the 27th. 

 The first flock of Golden Plovers arrived in Devonshire on the 14th and 

 several small passing Hocks were noted on the 30th. Flocks travelling 

 south were recorded in Cardiganshire on the 18th and 28th and several 

 large flocks were observed in Anglesey on the 25th, evidently on passage, 

 as a marked decrease took place on the following day. 



The records from the lights in September were : — One at the Outer 

 Dowsing Light-vessel (Lincolnshire) on the 14th/15th and a few at the 

 Chicken Rock Light (Isle of Man) on the 18th/19th. 



In October migratory movements in Scotland continued up to the 25th, 

 but on a smaller scale than in the two previous months. On the 1st 

 flocks were seen going east in Cumberland, and Golden Plovers were 

 heard passing over in Essex on the 5th and 6th ; large arrivals were 

 noted in the same county on the 24th and 27th. In Kent a large flock 

 was reported on the 8th and 9th, and individuals of this species formed 

 part of a large movement of migrants that passed over the city of York 

 between 10 p.m. and midnight on the 11th. A decided increase in 

 numbers was noted on Holy Island on the 13th and a large flock arrived 

 on the north coast of Devonshire on the 28th, travelling from north to 

 south. A large flock was also reported in Cambridgeshire on the 29th. 



In November, Golden Plovers were heard passing over Hunstanton 

 (Norfolk) between 6 and 11 p.m. on the 6th and a large passing flock was 

 observed in Yorkshire on the 13th. In Essex small numbers were 

 reported on passage during the month, with larger numbers on the 6th 

 and between the 23rd and 28th. A large flock of about two hundred 

 was seen going south on the coast of Northumberland on the 30th. 

 Well-marked movements were observed at the Pentland Skerries, 

 Stornoway (Outer Hebrides), Tarbatness (E. Ross-shire) and Largo 

 Bay (Fife) at the end of the month, due no doubt to the hard weather 

 that prevailed at that period. 



In December a small party of ten were passing in Northumberland on 

 the 1st and about a hundred arrived in Shropshire on the 20th, leaving 



