iS93 



~| Mackay on the Knot. 2J 



Hall Market, Boston. On inquiry, after purchasing the bird, 

 which is now in his collection, he learned the bunch of birds 

 came from St. John, New Brunswick, and the Knot probably 

 was shot in that locality about that date. 



The Knot is a favorite bird with sportsmen, on account of its 

 answering the call whistle and coming to the decoys so readily, 

 often a second and occasionally a third time, after having been 

 shot at, for they are either very tame or very shy according to 

 whether they have been harassed. When shy, and coming to 

 decoys to alight, they barely touch their feet to the sand before 

 they discover their mistake and are oft' in an instant. They fly 

 quickly and closely together and, when coming to decoys, usually 

 pass by them down wind, most of the flock whistling, then 

 suddenly wheeling with heads to the wind, and up to the decoys. 

 At such times many are killed at one discharge. They are only fair 

 eating, being a little fishy in flavor. They make two notes. One 

 is soft, of two articulations, and sounds like the word 'Wah- 

 quoit' (by which name it is sometimes known on Cape Cod) ; 

 although uttered low it can be heard quite a distance. This note 

 is particularly noticeable when flocks are coming to the decoys ; 

 it has a faint rolling sound similar to the note of the American 

 Golden Plover ( Charadrins dominicus) under the same condi- 

 tions, only more subdued and faint. The other is a single note 

 resembling a little honk. These birds will also respond to the 

 note of the Black-bellied Plover ( Charadrius squatarola) as 

 readily as to their own, when it is given with a whistle. 



Knots feed on the marshes and also on the sand flats near the 

 edo-e of the water, where they find marine insects and their larvae. 

 Those birds living south of Cape Hatteras feed to a large extent 

 on a small mollusc {Donax variabilis Say). They also frequent 

 the flats at night as well as in the daytime. As far as I know I 

 should say their food was the same as that eaten by the Black- 

 bellied Plover. Like them they also eat the larvae of one of the 

 cut worms (Noctuidae) which they obtain on the marshes, and 

 some of which I have found still in their throats after they were 

 shot. Mr. William Thompson in his most charming work 

 ('Natural History of Ireland') mentions that there they feed 

 chiefly on minute mollusca, especially Palndina mziriatica 

 Lam., also on the young of Littorina rudis. On the ground 

 they are sluggish, and not given to moving about much ; unless 



