39 



stone, and, he adds, fully equals this species in its excessive wa- 

 riness and difficulty of approach, and in summer that it disappears 

 from the vallies and " probably" betakes itself to the mountains 

 to breed. They reappear clothed in their winter dress in the 

 beginning of September, and in about the middle of that month 

 take their departure from Iceland. 



Faber seems to have mistaken the young birds for the old 

 birds changed to winter dress, and which there also, as with us, 

 appear to keep in separate flocks from the old birds. But what 

 really does become of the greater portion of the old birds, until 

 they come to our shores in late autumn in their complete winter 

 dress? 



There can be little doubt but that the breeding grounds of the 

 Knot are very extensive, and probably hereafter a colony may 

 be found at Spitzbergen from whence those which visit us may 

 come. These birds seem similar in America to those we get, 

 but the American Dunlins, so far as I have seen, are considerably 

 larger than ours, so much so, as I think to constitute a race, if 

 not a species. 



AVhen in London in June, 1878, I saw three of these interest- 

 ing birds in their summer plumage, which they had acquired in 

 the Fish House in the Zoological Gardens, and I was delighted 

 with them. There were also a Turnstone which had acquired its 

 summer plumage, two Avocets and two Grey Plovers, one a 

 bird of last year, which had nearly acquired its winter plumage, 

 not having any black on the breast, and having still some of the 

 spotted feathers of the young bird amongst the tertials, the other 

 an old bird, about half changed to its summer plumage, that is, 

 irregularly spotted with black on the breast. These Grey Plo- 

 vers readily called attention to them by frequently uttering their 

 well known call note. I also saw in the British Museum the 

 three young Knots in the downy state, which had been brought 

 home by Captain Fielden of the Arctic expedition. On looking 

 at a label on the case T saw the date June 4th. Kow, I felt 

 sure this was a mistake, as the grounds on which this species 

 breed could not be ready for them by that time. I find, on look- 



