The Zoologist — March, 1871. 2495 



Ornithological Notes from North Lincolnshire. 

 By John Cordeaux, Esq. 



(Continued from Zool. S. S. 2473.) 



January, 1871. 



Dunlin occasionally Swimming. — I was watching lately a flock 

 of dunlins feeding along the foot of the embankment at a spot 

 where the flats are broken by several small pools of salt water, 

 six to eight inches in depth, left by the receding tide : as a rule, 

 these lively little birds skirted the pools either to the right or left, 

 and sometimes took a short fliglit over. In one case, however, 

 where the pool was rather larger than the average, I observed 

 several enter the water and swim across. I have seen dunlins, 

 when feeding along the tide-edge and overtaken by the advancing 

 swell, swim for a few strokes, but never, before to-day, take to the 

 water from choice. 



Brent Goose.— There are several small flocks of brent geese off" 

 the coast. 1 saw seven this morning (January 3rd) near the end 

 of our creek feeding on a shell bed just laid bare by the tide, but 

 had no means of getting within shot. 1 walked towards them, but 

 it was no use, as they also kept walking away, but did not take to 

 flight till I had got about eighty yards off. They may readily be 

 distinguished from ducks by their goose-like manner of poking out 

 the head and neck. 



Knot. — January 6th. The gizzard in this species is, compared 

 with the size of the bird, remarkably large and muscular. I find 

 them crammed with broken and some entire shells of a Tellina. 



Redshanks, Sfc. — January 6th. Redshanks, knot, dunlin, gray 

 plover and bartailed godwit seen on the muds this morning. 



Goosander. — January 6th. A pair or two off the coast; also 

 some sheldrake. 



Smew. — January 7th. A mature female smew, one of a pair, was 

 shot from a drain in the Stallingbrough marshes this morning. 

 Likewise another mature female near the embankment, which I got 

 from one of our shooters. The ovary contained eggs as large as 

 No. 4 shot; the gizzard, fine vegetable fibre, quartz stones and a 

 feather. 



Golden and Green Plovers. — We have had neither golden nor 

 green plovers in the marshes since November, and of the former 



