74 BIKD-LIFE OF THE BORDERS. 



the produce of the Scottish Highlands, Shetland, &c. These 

 pass along southwards in a continuous but irregular stream, 

 commencing about the period of the departure of the local- 

 bred Plovers, say end of July, and continuing almost till the 

 arrival of the great flights which come from Norway, Lapland, 

 and Siberia in September and October. 



Snipe, too, are in the same category i.e., of birds which 

 are migratory as a species, but which, as individuals, are 

 found here at all seasons. Many of those shot on the Border 

 moors in August are undoubtedly the native-bred birds, being 

 in all stages of adolescence from the down upwards. It is 

 not unusual to find young Snipes which can only fly thirty or 

 forty yards, and on August 12, a few years ago, I found a 

 whole brood just emerged from the shell. This was of course 

 an exceptionally late case, the normal period at which Snipe 

 begin to lay being the middle of April. Precisely the same 

 remarks are applicable to the movements of Snipe during 

 August and September, as I have already made in reference to 

 Golden Plover. In September we certainly have birds on 

 passage, arriving irregularly, yet their quills appear insuffi- 

 ciently developed to have enabled them to cross the North Sea. 

 Hence it is probable that these are Scotch-bred birds on their 

 passage south, the foreign migrants not arriving till October. 

 There usually occurs a perceptible interval between the depar- 

 ture of the last of the British-bred wild birds, and the arrival 

 of the foreign contingent. The interval varies in duration in 

 different years, and is observable both with Snipe and Golden 

 Plovers. Very hot, dry seasons are of course unfavourable 

 for all these birds, which disappear from the inland moors 

 entirely ; . but in such seasons I have sometimes noticed a 

 corresponding increase in the number of Peewits. 



Of course all grouse-shooters meet with the birds above- 

 mentioned, together with the rest of the regular moor-bred 

 wildfowl, such as Mallard, Teal, &c. ; but how seldom one 

 hears of the occurrence of any really uncommon species ! Con- 

 sidering all the circumstances, this appears rather remarkable. 

 For example, one might expect to hear of some of the less com- 

 mon ducks being obtained, or of some of those ducks, waders, 

 &c., whose usual summer habitat is in northern latitudes, 



