306 BIRDS OF THE WEST OF SCOTLAND. 



thirty years, informs me that he has never had this species through 

 his hands." 



The authors of the 'Natural History of Orkney,' state that this 

 Godwit is "rather a rare winter visitant, during which season it 

 appears in small flocks." Professor Newton is of opinion that 

 it breeds in Iceland: he obtained a fine pair in the flesh at 

 Reykjavik, towards the end of June. Professor Baird, in his 

 ' Birds of North America,' states that this bird is allied to the 

 Hudsonian godwit (Limosa Hudsonica, Lath), but " differs in having 

 the axillars, and under coverts dark brown instead of white; the 

 neck brownish grey instead of chestnut." 



THE BAE- TAILED GODWIT. 



LIMOSA RUFA. 

 Ehuid Ghuilbnach. 



I BELIEVE this Godwit will yet be found nesting in the Outer 

 Hebrides, although I am not, in the meantime, aware of the eggs 

 having been found. In 1858, Dr Dewar shot five specimens on 

 the 26th June on Bernera, an island in the Sound of Harris, three 

 of which I had an opportunity of seeing about a month afterwards. 

 They were in full breeding plumage, and Dr Dewar informs me 

 that all the birds he saw had apparently paired, and seemed from 

 their habits to have their nests at no great distance. 



The Bar-tailed Godwit is widely distributed in the winter 

 season, but is only found in flocks in estuaries, where the oozy 

 shores attract them by the profusion of small marine animals, 

 chiefly annelides and Crustacea, which live in the mud. Where these 

 shores are very soft and yielding, the birds content themselves by 

 dabbling in the ooze, much in the same manner as a duck ; but 

 where there is a mixture of mud and sand of tolerable consistency, 

 I have seen them ploughing it with a curious zig-zag motion, and 

 at other times inserting their bills about an inch or so, and running 

 round till they almost described a circle. I have observed the 

 habits of this Godwit in the Firths of Forth and Tay, the estuary 

 of the Eden in Fifeshire, and the Bay of Cromarty from the 

 Eoss-shire side. The last named locality, which offers at low tide 

 perhaps one of the most attractive mud flats in Scotland, is 

 frequented by considerable numbers. Mr Harvie Brown informs 



