Wanderings of a Naturalist 



remains farther out to sea than the common scoter. It is 

 considerably scarcer than the latter bird, but is found dis- 

 tributed up and down our coasts during the winter months. 

 Not far from the scoters which are diving assiduously a 

 few scaup are swimming, while four long-tailed ducks, or 

 sea pheasants, as they are locally known, are also busy at 

 their feeding. Two of them are drakes, with long tail 

 feathers blown this way and that, and their excitement when 

 the ducks, after diving, emerge beside them seems to point 

 to the fact that the recent spell of mild weather has caused 

 the birds to pair early. Despite the gale which threatens to 

 blow them bodily into the sea, turnstones are actively en- 

 gaged in turning over with their heads the half-dried weed ; 

 at times almost disappearing in the hollows which they have 

 made, and where they eagerly pick up the small crustaceans 

 they have exposed. As far as my experience goes, purple 

 sandpipers, which are found at times with the turnstones, 

 never turn over the seaweed in this manner in their search for 

 food. 



A little farther on is a large flock of that very interesting 

 wader, the knot. The sun, shining full on their light- 

 coloured winter plumage, makes them appear almost as white 

 as the surrounding seagulls, and when they rise in a compact 

 body to fly off to another feeding ground near by, the sun- 

 light from time to time transforms them as they wheel and 

 manoeuvre gracefully together. Now they travel at swiftest 

 speed just above the ground, now they rise abruptly high 

 into the air and hang, pendulous against the wind. Although 

 as a winter visitor the knot occurs in suitable localities 

 throughout our coasts, even at the present day little is known 

 as to where its main breeding haunts are situated. The only 

 thing certain is that they lie far within the Arctic Circle as 

 far as vegetation penetrates. The birds are said to nest 

 occasionally in Iceland, but the first clutch of fully authenti- 

 cated eggs was obtained from the Taimyr Peninsula in 1901. 



A well-known naturalist, who was fortunate enough to 



210 



