THE ZooLoGist—SEPTEMBER, 1872. $205 
appeared to be generally a lighter or more chocolate-brown than 
the fully adult female; and the males, although looking black, had 
a grayer appearance than the adult. In May we meet with whole 
flocks of scoters on the river in the immature dress, or rather 
changing from the immature to the mature; most of these still 
retain the gray cheeks and throat, characteristic of the young 
birds. Later in the season we find these in the mature plumage, 
or in a plumage generally resembling the breeding dress, but with 
the differences I have pointed out. I do not believe in the theory 
of large flocks of barren scoters remaining on our coast during the 
summer, but rather think it will be found that the scoter, which is 
a very late nester, does not breed till the third summer, the young 
birds only obtaining their full breeding dress after the autumn 
moult of the second year. The hundreds of scoters, males and 
females, which may now be seen off our flat Lincolnshire coast, 
are certainly not barren or old birds, but the young of the preceding 
year, which in their turn will go northward to breed. 
Swift.—July 8rd. Noticed a swift hawking at sea, near the 
entrance to Llyn Deeps, at 3.20 this morning. 
Whimbrel—July 3rd and 4th. When in Boston Deeps we saw 
many whimbrel: a flock of six; another of eighteen; and two 
others with upwards of thirty birds in each. ‘They flew across at 
low water from the Lincolnshire shore towards the sand-banks, 
where they feed in company with curlews, oystercatchers, and 
gulls: they are known to our fishermen by the name of “ curlew- 
knot.” Small numbers of whimbrel may be found on our coast 
during the summer. I never remember seeing them in such large 
flocks so early in the season: it is too early for the return of the 
young broods, and there are probably birds of the previous summer 
not breeding. 
Curlew.—Plentifully distributed along our coasts, both on the 
sea-shore and within the Humber, where I have seen them all 
through the summer. 
Oyslercaicher.—July 3rd. A flock of about fifty, early this 
morning, flying from the Lincolnshire coast in the direction of the 
Wash sand-banks. 
Guillemot.—July 3rd and 4th. Several seen fishing within the 
Humber and along the Lincolnshire coast, as well as off Hunstanton 
and in the Deeps. Many guillemots remain on this coast throughout 
the spring and summer, away from their breeding haunts. I find 
SECOND SERIES—VOL. VII. 2U 
