80 THE NATURALIST IN BERMUDA. 
BLACK-CROWNED Nicut Heron (A. nycticoraz). Twelve 
specimens, which I examined in the Bermudas, were all in 
the spotted plumage of the young; one of these, shot on 
the 9th of February, had the irides bright carmine, and the 
long plumes at the back of the head beginning to appear. 
These birds vary much in size. 
HUDSONIAN CURLEW (Numenius Hudsonicus). Of four 
specimens which came under my observation, one was shot 
on the 14th of August, and the remainder in September. 
GREAT YELLOW-SHANKS TATLER (Totanus vociferus). 
The only instance of the vernal appearance of this bird, 
occurred on the 5th of June, 1852, when a single specimen 
was killed at Hungry Bay. Like all other birds which visit 
the Bermudas at that season, it was in beautiful plumage. 
SPOTTED SANDPIPER (Totanus macularius). In 1849, a 
few of these sandpipers visited the Bermudas between the 
14th and 28th of April, being the only instance on record 
of their being seen at that season. In the autumn it is 
_ the earliest of the migrants from the north; and I have 
reason to believe that a large flight of them passed over 
the Bermudas on the 31st of July, 1850: The evening was 
clear and tranquil; their note of tweet, tweet, was distinctly 
heard for full fifteen minutes, and yet the birds were invi- 
sible, even with the aid of a telescope. 
This little sandpiper swims and dives with great ease ; 
one which I wounded, fell into the sea, and, on being ap- 
proached, dived nearly to the bottom of the clear water, 
which was upwards of three feet in depth; this it repeated 
two or three times; and, on rising from one of these de- 
scents, near the rock on which it stood, it was captured. 
BLACK-NECKED Stitt (Himantopus nigricollis). My 
