GOLDEN PLOVER. 73 



Accustomed, however, as I have been for some years to 

 listen for these well known sounds at the beginning 

 of autumn, I never remember noticing any particular 

 mingling of notes — although at times the golden plover 

 and lapwings seemed massed together — until the 23rd 

 of August, 1865, when the feathered host which then 

 visited our city and neighbourhood* exceeded not only 

 in numbers, but in combination of species, anything 

 before recorded in this part of the kingdom. The 

 night was extremely dark, and the close sultry air 

 foretold the storm which, about two a.m., culminated 

 in one terrific flash of lightning, accompanied by a 

 deafening peal of thunder and a perfect deluge of rain. 

 Between nine and ten o'clock I was first attracted by the 

 ordinary whistle of the plover, but on stepping into the 

 garden, became aware at once of the unusual character 

 of this migratory flight. The air seemed literally filled 

 with birds, but, though at times they were apparently 

 within a few yards of one's head it was impossible 

 to see anything, even when standing close to the gas- 

 lamps, on the road. Different flocks appeared to answer 

 each other, and their confused clamour was so great 



* I may here remark that a Correspondent in the "Field" 

 (September 9th, 1865) records a large flight of birds at Leicester, 

 as observed by himself on the very same evening. He was attracted 

 by the noise, and on going out saw " the dark outline of a flock of 

 birds, going in a south-westerly direction," From their notes he 

 believes the majority to have been " geese of some kind or other," 

 and their attendants he thinks were of the plover species ; but a 

 friend imagined " that he could detect the note of an owl amongst 

 the rest." In the following autumn, another Correspondent in the 

 same journal (September 15th, 1866), writing from Cranbrooke, 

 describes a very large flight of birds as having passed over head on 

 the 9th of that month. It was raining hard at the time, and very 

 dark. Their notes resembled " pweet, pweet," apparently uttered 

 by some hundreds in each flock, and were heard by him, at intervals 

 of about ten minutes, from half-past eleven till two a.m. 

 L 



