2390 The Zoologist — December, 1870. 



Bartailed Godwit. — Extremely iinmerous, and owing to their 

 tameness much persecuted ; now, however, they are becoming more 

 difficult to get near, yet it has been only by constantly repeated firing 

 at that they have become aware of the range of a gun. The usual 

 practice of our gunners is, at low water, to dig a hole on the flats and 

 sit there for the chance of a shot at the passing flocks of waders ; and 

 I never recollect such slaughter, and such heavy bags made, as lias 

 been the case this autumn. 



Blacktailed Godwit. — By much the rarer of the two species, yet 

 not uncommon this season, frequenting the coast in small numbers. 

 They are always much wilder than their congeners, and consequently 

 have not suffered to the same extent. Three were killed at a shot by 

 one of the flat shooters : known as the " larger black and white tailed 

 curlew whelp." 



Gray Plover. — Next to the knot and " bartails," the commonest 

 species on the fore-shore. Singularly tame and trustful as these birds 

 are on their first arrival, they soon learn prudence, and become the 

 very wildest of the wild. They have this autumn departed from their 

 usual practice of keeping always to the flats, and now resort daily in 

 flocks of fifty and sixty to the nearest grass and fallow lands; I 

 suspect the reason is that they find they are not disturbed in these 

 places. These flocks have all the manners and customs of golden 

 plovers, but are readily distinguishable from the latter, particularly on 

 ploughed land, by their much lighter appearance, and from the 

 occasional glimpses they give us of the black axillars, as some member 

 of the flock raises his wing. 



Golden Plover. — A few seen, both on the fore-shore and marshes, 

 during the last fortnight in the month. 



Greenshank. — September 29. One shot on the flats : I got this bird. 

 Several have been seen lately on the coast between Grimsby and Tetney 

 Haven. 



Redshank. — Not common : very ievi have been shot. 



Duskij Redshank (?). — September 30. I was not in time (it had 

 been sent to market) to secure a probable specimen of this rather rare 

 species, shot this morning from a hole on the flats. The shooter (a 

 Norfolk punt man, well up in all our shore birds) described it to me 

 as a " sort of godwit," plumage dark all over and speckled with white, 

 legs long and yellowish, bill not as long as the godwits. When shot 

 it was feeding in company with some knots. 



