54 SCOLOPACID.E. 



grass, without being at the pains of forming any nest." In 

 the Fauna Boreali Americana, Dr. Richardson says the Knot 

 breeds in Hudson^s Bay and down to the fifty-fifth parallel ; 

 the eggs are described as being of a light yellowish brown, 

 marked at the larger end with grey and reddish spots, 

 forming more or less a sort of zone, and but little spotted 

 towards the point. This bird in all its various states of 

 plumage appears to be well known to the ornithologists of 

 the United States. 



Returning to the British Islands, Mr. Thompson sends 

 me word that the Knot is a regular autumn visitant to Ire- 

 land. It is also found in flocks on most of the shores of the 

 southern and eastern counties of England in autumn ; the 

 greater portion of these are young birds of the year that have 

 come southward from the breeding grounds, and the London 

 markets exhibit a good supply through the winter. They 

 are excellent birds for the table, and their good qualities as 

 food appear to have been long known. In the Norfolk 

 Household Book, which I have frequently quoted, and 

 which commences in 1519, are various records of rewards 

 to the fowler for bringing in Knots. Pennant quotes Cam- 

 den as saying " that these birds derive their name from 

 King Canute, Knute or Knout as he is sometimes called ; 

 probably because they were a favourite dish with that 

 monarch." 



The birds appear to feed principally on aquatic insects 

 and the soft animals inhabiting bivalve shells. They 

 have been observed to swim with great ease, and are 

 stupidly tame on their first arrival in autumn. Sir William 

 Jardine mentions " that he once met with a large flock on 

 the east side of Holy Island, in the month of September, 

 which were so tame as to allow him to kill as many as he 

 wanted with stones from the beach, and he possesses 



