GOLDEN PLOVER. 75 



sounds came the murmuring of smaller migrants, such, as 

 thrushes and finches.* Many strange rumours were, of 

 course, circulated at the time, but, with the exception 

 of such species as I have here named, I could not ascer- 

 tain that any others had been satisfactorily identified. 

 Amongst them, owls were said to have been heard 

 hooting by the road-side, and early in the evening large 

 flocks of birds, like thrushes or redwings, to have been 

 seen settling on trees and houses in the neighbourhood 

 of the city; but none appear to have been shot. The 

 extraordinary noise of the plover, induced most probably 

 by the coming storm, was sufficient to awaken many 

 people during the night, and thus afforded evidence of 

 the presence of these birds for many hours, but it is 



Larus" Mr. Alfred Newton also informs me that on more than 

 one occasion during the last few years, in the month of August, he 

 has listened to similar nights over Cambridge and its vicinity, 

 and always on dark nights. From their notes he has supposed the 

 majority to consist of black-headed gulls, mixed with golden plover, 

 and he has at times detected the cry of the long-billed curlew. 



Mr. Cornewall Simeon, writing from Winchester, in the "Field," 

 of December 8th, 1866, records a very remarkable gathering of 

 birds,of various kinds, over that city on the evening of the 20th, 

 which were listened to by him from nine o'clock until twelve, when 

 he went to bed. The night was " dark, fine, and perfectly still," 

 and by far the larger number appeared from their notes to be 

 fieldfares and redwings, accompanied by some dunlins and ring- 

 dotterel, occasionally a snipe or two were heard, and by the rattle 

 of the wings at times, some larger birds, supposed to be wild fowl. 

 It was impossible, he says, to form any estimate of their number, 

 as they passed steadily over in those three hours, only a few 

 occasionally "circling round as if dazzled by the lights of the 

 town," but the air seemed literally full of them. 



* The migration of various classes of birds, to our coast, in one 

 large body, as observed during the day, is specially referred to 

 by Sir Thomas Browne, who says: "teal, woodcocks, fieldfares, 

 thrushes, and small birds, come and alight together ; for the most 

 part some hawks and birds of prey attending them." 

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