ZOOLOGY. 73 
of them, darkening the sky with heavy masses of rapidly 
moving vapour, and causing a heavy rolling swell to break 
upon their rocky shores. Should an occurrence of this 
nature take place while the plover legions are on_ their 
flight over sea, it becomes impossible for them to proceed. 
Driven back and harrassed by the terrific storm of wind and 
rain,—in which doubtless many perish,—the lone Islands 
of Bermuda become a refuge to numbers of these birds in 
their distress, and also to numerous flocks of other over sea 
migrants. The grassy hills of the south shore and Port 
Royal, the islands in the Sound, and other open spots, teem 
on these occasions with flocks of plover; and “gunners” of 
every shade and degree wage war upon the unhappy 
fugitives. Many, of course, fall victims to this persecu- 
tion, (and these are remarkable for being extremely fat,) 
but no sooner does the weather become settled and fair, 
than the strangers take their departure for the south, leaving 
very few stragglers behind them. It is, therefore, as 
Major Wedderburn correctly states, only in wet and tem- 
-pestuous weather, that this plover visits the Bermudas in 
any considerable numbers. A few flocks, probably later 
arrivals, are met with to the middle of October. 
I will now risk the imputation of being tedious, by 
quoting the following testimony from my notes. 
September 11th, 1846. The Schooner “G. O. Bigelow” 
arrived this day from Halifax, Nova Scotia. The master, 
Edwin Jones, informs me that while off the east end of 
these islands, yesterday, hundreds of flocks of plover were 
seen passing over the vessel to the southward, and numerous 
flocks could be heard passing in the same direction toe 
the night. 
