The Zoologist — July, 187^. 4061 



25th, opposite my marsh farmstead, I found two flights feeding on 

 the muds in the wash of the advancing tide. In the first were 

 twenty-six, in the second twenty-five birds. The first flock had 

 two, a pair (one of which was considerably larger than the other), 

 in very perfect summer plumage ; three others showed a very con- 

 siderable advance, but still had the rufous of the under parts much 

 broken into with while ; the remainder were, without exception, in 

 the gray winter garb, and, as far as I could see, without the slightest 

 tendency to change it. Number two flock had a pair in full summer 

 plumage ; the smaller of these, the male, was the darkest and most 

 richly-coloured godwit T have ever met with ; it might almost have 

 passed for a melanite variety, and in some shades was perfectly 

 black, the under parts being as richly coloured as is that almost 

 black patch in the centre of the chestnut abdominal belt in the 

 . dotterel. It was very interesting to watch these godwits foraging 

 for food ; they were following the receding wave, some rapidly 

 picking up small objects left on the mud, others boring most 

 assiduously in the broken water, often with their heads completely 

 buried, and wading breast deep ; one I saw carried off its legs and 

 swimming beyond the breakers. 



Ringed Plover (JEgialitis intermedins, Menetries ?). — May 25, 

 There was a large mixed flock of ringed plovers and dunlins on 

 the muds this morning, and of the former, about a score, carefully 

 examined, at very short range, with the telescope, belonged to that 

 smaller race or variety which is said to visit our shores in May. 

 These little birds are altogether considerably less than the familiar 

 ringed plover of these coasts, which nests at Spurn, and examples 

 of which I had opportunities of comparing with them later in the 

 day. Their colours also are brighter and clearer, and the black 

 rings and markings even more distinctly defined than in the 

 common race ; the legs seem paler, almost semi-transparent, as if 

 carved out of amber. Beautiful chastely-coloured little birds they 

 are ; at the first glance I thought I had pitched upon a troop of the 

 rare little ringed plover. This small race, which visits our shores 

 in the spring, 1 take to be the southern form of the ringed dotterel. 

 Is then this southern form the ^gialitis intermedins of Menetries? 

 In the only skin (given me by Mr. Stevenson) of the smaller race 

 which I possess, the orange colour at the base of the^bill is not 

 proportionately narrower than in the common ringed dotterel. 

 I should say that in the examples I saw to-day on these flats the 



SECOND SEUIES — VOL. IX. 2 L 



