KNOT. GRALLATORES, TRINGA. 141 



after each discharge merely making a short circuitous flight, 

 and again alighting amidst their dead companions. They 

 soon, however, grow more wary, and, during the winter 

 months, it becomes very difficult to approach them, either at 

 rest or when feeding on the sands, though in their various 

 evolutions on the wing, they sometimes approach near enough 

 to be within range of the fowling-piece. In this species, the 

 bill approaches very closely in form to that of the Ruff, be- 

 ing nearly straight, and more dilated at the tip than in the 

 other members ; and the feet, in which the membrane cover- 

 ing the lower surface of the toes is rather strongly marked, 

 indicate the passage from this genus to the Phalaropes and 

 Lobipedes. Of the nidification, colour of the eggs, Sec. we 

 have no authentic information; and I cannot but suppose 

 that the egg figured by LEWIN as that of the Knot, belonged 

 to some other bird, which is rendered more likely by his 

 adding, that the Knot arrives in the fens in spring, at the 

 same time as the Ruff and Reeve an assertion at variance 

 both with the observations of other naturalists, and with the 

 ascertained migratory movements of the species. 



PLATE 27. FIG. 1. Represents the Old Bird in the winter General 

 plumage. ^escrip. 



In this state, the crown of the head, hind part of the neck, Adult bird, 

 back, scapulars, and wing-coverts, are of a light brown- plumage, 

 ish-grey, with the shafts of the feathers darker. The 

 middle wing-coverts deeply margined and tipped with 

 white. Throat white, with a few small hair-brown specks. 

 Sides and lower part of the neck white, streaked with 

 hair-brown. Belly, abdomen, and under tail-coverts, 

 pure white. Breast, sides, and flanks, barred with hair- 

 brown. Lower part of the back and upper tail-coverts 

 white, with transverse bars of deep hair-brown. Tail 

 grey, very finely margined with white. Quills deep hair- 

 brown, with white shafts. Legs and feet blackish-grey. 

 FIG. 2. Is the young of the year (or Tringa cinerea of au- 

 thors), killed in September. 



