4670 - Tue ZooLocist—NoveEMBER, 1875. 
Sanderling and Turnstone.— September 15th. Considerable 
numbers, especially of the former, on the sandy flats near the 
mouth of the Humber. 
Knot.—September 23rd. When on the sea coast near Tetney 
to-day, with Mr. Howard Saunders, we watched the knot passing 
from the Lincolnshire to the Yorkshire coast. I mention these 
more particularly as they were seen under very favourable and 
picturesque circumstances. The sky was overshadowed with dark 
and heavy cumuli, excepting in the east, where, beyond the endless 
flat, a ragged, ever-changing line of breakers was backed by an arc 
of light—bright, very clear, almost colourless, hard and cold as a 
wintry sky; such a sky as we see before heavy rains: across this 
drift flocks of knot in echelon, long extended. There was one, 
a dark nucleus of birds, with a most fan-like expansion, like the 
tail of a comet; another was a big ball, ever contracting and 
expanding, sometimes drawn out like a huge caterpillar or wreath 
of smoke. These birds, advancing in single rank in an immense 
extended wavering line, massed and crowded rather densely at 
certain points, and much resembling some huge cable tied in 
knots. 1 hope none of my readers will give me credit for per- 
petrating a pun, although a coast gunner did once try and explain 
to me the origin of King Canute’s bird by the habit they have 
of flying in knots and bunches. Our gunners invariably, when 
speaking of these birds Seip i use the term “a bunch of 
knot”— never a flock. 
Hooded Crow.—September 24th. Wind east and north-east on 
previous day, blowing very hard on night of 23rd. Hooded crow 
first seen. Also, at the same time, large flocks of larks came in: 
first flight of snipe. 
Waders.—Night of 26th and morning of 27th; heavy gale from 
the south-west. This I noticed was followed by a great accession 
of waders on the flats—knot, dunlin, redshank, gray plover, &c.: 
these only remained, however, for a few days. 
Yellowhammer and Greenfinch.— October 2nd; wind north- 
west, cold and gloomy, with squalls of rain. Flocks of yellow- 
hammers have come in; also about this time—probably on night 
of 8rd (as I did not observe any on the stubbles before morning of 
4th)—considerable numbers of old greenfinches. — 
JoHN CoRDEAUX. 
Great Cotes, Ulceby, Lincolnshire, 
October 6, 1875. 
