44 



with on the journey. The great migration probably passes fur- 

 ther eastward than Great Britain, as the few which alight on the 

 English coasts must be but a very small portion of the migrating 

 host. Where the tides run out a long way and leave a great 

 extent of sand and mud, it is uncertain work following these birds 

 at low water ; but at times, at particular places, during spring 

 tides, at high water, numbers may be shot, One day under such 

 circumstances, on Sept. 19, with a northerly wind and high tides, 

 I got many Knots and Godwits and a couple of Grey Plovers ; 

 the following day at the same spot, with a southerly wind and 

 tide not coming within one hundred yards of that of the precedii 

 day, I did not get a bird, none being driven up, in consequence 

 of such an extent of mud being left uncovered by the water even 

 at a spring tide. 



The Sanderling, like the Knot, seems to be as abundant in 

 America as in Europe, and its migrations seem very similar. 

 Large flocks, however, in going northward, appear on the west 

 and more northerly coasts in May, and these may be on their way 

 to America. The Grey Plover, also, like the Knot, seems to be 

 equally distributed in America as in Europe and Asia, and its 

 migrations extend probably farther south than even those of the 

 Knot ; but little is apparently known about it. The earliest bird 

 I have seen arrived from its breeding grounds is a female, killed 

 Aug. 20, 1862, the only one with a black breast shot on our coast 

 that I know of. The young birds arrive about Sep. 16; they 

 are conspicuous by their pretty spotted plumage, showing the 

 white back feathers when they rise, and often uttering their loud 

 cry of "kle-wee." They seldom appear in large flocks, being 

 generally seen in straggling parties of about eight, but oftrner 

 still in smaller numbers. The young Grey Plover when it first 

 arrives and before it gets faded, when first killed and if kept 

 clean, is an exquisite bird to look at, the lovely freckled back 

 being a mixture of olive, white, and yellow, recalling the readily 

 conceived place of its infancy. One can imagine the lichen- 

 covered stony ground, with the brood lying well concealed by 

 their similarity to the surroundings, and no doubt can be enter- 



