41 



perfect feathers all over. I was struck with the difference in 

 the habit of this bird in different situations. On the Northum- 

 berland coast they are often found amongst the rocks as well as 

 on the muds, and very tame. At Skinburness when found they 

 were on the grass and wild : they were driven up by the high 

 tides and were sitting upon small hillocks of grass surrounded 

 by the water in similar places as were young Ruffs, so that 

 what is mentioned about them having been caught with Ruffs in 

 former times is quite probable. Previous to seeing them in such 

 places I thought this a mistake. 



North Jesmond, 



Newcastle-in/on- Ti/ne. 



August 1st, 1878. 



OX THE HABITS OF THE KNOT AND OTHER, SHORE 

 BIRDS AS OBSERVED IN NORTHUMBERLAND. 



(Reprinted from " The Field" Newspaper.} 



THE Knot is well known to visit our southern and eastern 

 coasts each spring and autumn, and in May it appears in its 

 red summer plumage, or is then acquiring it. On the Nor- 

 thumberland coast I am not aware of a single red bird ever 

 having been killed in spring when the species is migrating north, 

 and from this we might suppose that the nocks visiting our more 

 southern shores keep further to the eastward in their northern 

 migration, and that the numbers which visit us in autumn are 

 European or Asian, and not American. Singularly enough, the 

 old birds occasionally come to the Northumberland coast after 

 breeding without having cast a feather. The earliest autumn 

 arrival I ever knew I shot on July 19, 1854. This bird had bred 

 as the bare places on the breast clearly showed. I have some old 

 birds killed early in August, and have seen several others, more 

 worn and faded in feather than the one before mentioned. These 

 birds are not accompanied by the young, and they have not com- 



