152 THE BIRDS OF CUMBERLAND. 



The Knot is an extremely gregarious bird, and 

 large parties feed together on the mud flats, or 

 fly to and fro uneasily, as the rising tide covers 

 their favourite sandbanks. It is more abundant 

 upon our coastline in winter than any other wader, 

 except the Oystercatcher and Dunlin. 



Genus MACHETES. 



M. Pugnax. Ruff. 



The Rufl" is a scarce visitant on autumnal 

 migration. In recording two Reeves, shot on 

 RocldifFe marsh, on August 23rd and 25th, 1832, 

 Mr. T. C. Heysham wrote — " From various sources 

 of information, we are strongly inclined to think 

 that a few young Ruffs annually resort for a short 

 time to the salt marshes in the vicinity of the 

 Sol way Frith, during their autumnal migration." 

 During the last twenty years, Mr. Tremble has 

 never failed to shoot one or two Rufls, chiefly young 

 birds, at the end of August or during September. 

 In the present autumn (1885), Mr. Tremble shot 

 a young Ruff* out of a party of six, as they skimmed 

 swiftly along the edge of Burgh marsh ; and, for 

 the first time in Mr. Tremble's experience, we saw 

 the survivors flying out to the mud banks of the 

 channel, in advance of a party of Peewits. In 

 1884, a Reeve was shot on Rocklifle marsh, on 

 August 30th. Six specimens were shot on Burgh 

 marsh, on September 8th, and another Reeve was 

 shot at Skinburness, on September 10th. There 

 are no authenticated specimens of the Rufl" obtained 



