8o General Notes. [^ 



birds must have passed over the island tonight, as they have been heard 

 whistling during the greater part of the night; none stopped. This was 

 the first movement noticed this season. In the afternoon the wind 

 changed to west by south, clear, warmer and pleasant. 



Aug. 25 I saw a flock of twenty two, and shot three of them. The wind 

 was south by east, fresh, in the forenoon; more moderate in the after- 

 noon; the weather was thick outside the island, barometer 29.75 and 

 falling. Aug. 26, I was driving over the Plover ground at daylight. The 

 wind remained southeast up to 3.30 a.m. ; at 4.10 a.m. a thunder and 

 lightning squall with severe rain and wind came blowing north by east; 

 the wind remained so until eight a.m. when it hauled northeast, moderate 

 and warm; at one p.m. wind hauled east and it commenced to rain again, 

 having ceased from eight a.m. until this time. I saw one flock of fifteen, 

 another of nine, another of twelve, and two or three scattering birds ; 

 during the afternoon the wind was blowing at the rate of thirty-seven 

 miles an hour with hard rain. A large number of Golden Plover landed 

 at night, this being the second movement. Aug. 27, I was out at day- 

 light. The weather was very thick, with wind northeast and a little rain. 

 I saw a good many Plover, in fact inore than for the past three years put 

 together. In the afternoon the wind backed to north by west, and later 

 to north, the weather continuing thick, almost rain at times. Much to 

 my surprise I saw one flock of about fifty birds go up in the air and leave 

 on migration, evidently not liking the surroundings. About three 

 hundred birds were shot that day on Nantucket and Tuckernuck Islands. 

 The greater part of the birds left in the afternoon and night. I hardly 

 expected they would go, although the wind was fair (north), for the 

 weather was very unsettled. I judge they considered anything preferable 

 to remaining, as they were being greatly harassed. I never in my expe- 

 rience knew the Plover to be so restless and unwilling to remain as they 

 appeared to be. Instead of coursing over the ground low down, as is 

 their usual custom after landing, they kept up in the air, in great part at 

 an altitude of forty to one hundred yards, evincing the strongest disposi- 

 tion to continue migration, notwithstanding the unsettled condition of 

 the weather, which did not apparently warrant their leaving. I noticed 

 also that most of the flocks led to the windward, which is the reverse of 

 what is usually the case when here. 



Aug. 28, I was driving over the ground as usual at daylight. The wind 

 was north, and increasing, the weather very misty with rain at intervals 

 during the greater part of the day. The only birds left were some scatter- 

 ing flocks and about seventy to one hundred birds in a field which is 

 preserved. No one shot many birds, and the aggregate killed was very 

 small. Aug. 31, the only birds seen were those living in the field which 

 is preserved. Sept. 1, I drove over the western ground and saw about a 

 dozen Plover altogether, one of which was a Palebelly (young bird), the 

 first for this season. The wind was west by north, then west, from which 

 point it backed to northeast. On Sept. 2 and 3 there was nothing to 

 note. 



