﻿166 
  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  occasion 
  only 
  — 
  Jan. 
  31st, 
  1903 
  — 
  I 
  followed 
  and 
  watched 
  a 
  .flock 
  

   of 
  fifteen 
  Snow-Buntings 
  (Plectrophenax 
  nivalis) 
  feeding 
  in 
  the 
  

   grass 
  on 
  the 
  river 
  wall. 
  When 
  flying 
  away 
  the 
  white 
  feathers 
  in 
  

   the 
  wings 
  and 
  tail 
  were 
  so 
  conspicuous 
  as 
  to 
  make 
  them 
  appear 
  

   to 
  be 
  almost 
  entirely 
  white. 
  The 
  note 
  they 
  uttered 
  when 
  flying- 
  

   was 
  something 
  like 
  the 
  twitter 
  of 
  a 
  Greenfinch. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  winter 
  months 
  there 
  are 
  generally 
  large 
  mobs 
  of 
  Ducks 
  

   to 
  be 
  seen 
  on 
  the 
  Thames. 
  For 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  they 
  consist 
  of 
  

   the 
  Wild 
  Duck 
  (Anas 
  boscas), 
  but 
  I 
  have 
  also 
  distinguished 
  at 
  

   various 
  times 
  the 
  Common 
  iSheld-duck 
  (Tadorna 
  cornuta), 
  the 
  

   Pintail 
  (Dafila 
  acuta), 
  the 
  Teal 
  {Ncttion 
  crecca), 
  the 
  Wigeon 
  

   {Mareca 
  penelope) 
  , 
  and 
  occasionally 
  the 
  Common 
  Scoter 
  (CEdemia 
  

   nigra) 
  and 
  the 
  Scaup 
  (Fuligula 
  mania) 
  ; 
  and 
  on 
  one 
  occa- 
  

   sion 
  (February, 
  1904) 
  I 
  saw 
  a 
  small 
  mob 
  of 
  Wild 
  Geese 
  flying 
  

   over 
  from 
  the 
  Thames 
  in 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  Medway, 
  but 
  at 
  too 
  

   great 
  a 
  distance 
  for 
  me 
  to 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  distinguish 
  the 
  species. 
  

   The 
  Ducks 
  are 
  kept 
  continually 
  on 
  the 
  move 
  by 
  passing 
  craft, 
  

   and 
  are 
  in 
  consequence 
  wild 
  and 
  shy, 
  and 
  not 
  easy 
  to 
  get 
  near 
  ; 
  

   but, 
  concealed 
  by 
  the 
  wall, 
  I 
  had 
  the 
  good 
  fortune 
  to 
  watch 
  for 
  

   some 
  time 
  (February, 
  1904) 
  a 
  large 
  flock 
  of 
  fully 
  two 
  hundred 
  

   Sheld-duck, 
  with 
  a 
  small 
  flock, 
  on 
  the 
  landward 
  side 
  of 
  them, 
  of 
  

   about 
  thirty 
  Pintail. 
  They 
  all 
  floated 
  past 
  within 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  

   thirty 
  yards 
  (it 
  was 
  high 
  tide 
  at 
  the 
  time), 
  across 
  a 
  little 
  inlet 
  

   which 
  rejoices 
  in 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  Egypt 
  Bay. 
  The 
  Sheld-ducks 
  

   were 
  rather 
  noisy, 
  continually 
  uttering 
  a 
  cackling 
  note. 
  One 
  of 
  

   them 
  noticed 
  my 
  head 
  over 
  the 
  bank, 
  and 
  instantly 
  gave 
  the 
  

   alarm, 
  with 
  the 
  result 
  that 
  all 
  the 
  mob 
  were 
  soon 
  on 
  the 
  wing, 
  

   flying 
  out 
  towards 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  river. 
  

  

  The 
  Waders 
  are 
  naturally 
  the 
  most 
  common 
  birds 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  

   on 
  the 
  mud-flats 
  of 
  these 
  two 
  estuaries. 
  Amongst 
  passing 
  

   visitors 
  are 
  the 
  Dotterel 
  (Eudromias 
  morinellus) 
  , 
  and 
  the 
  Turn- 
  

   stone 
  (Strepsilas 
  interpres), 
  of 
  both 
  of 
  which 
  species 
  one 
  generally 
  

   sees 
  a 
  few 
  along 
  the 
  margin 
  of 
  the 
  tide 
  during 
  the 
  spring 
  and 
  

   autumn 
  migrations, 
  the 
  Turnstone 
  more 
  frequently 
  than 
  the 
  

   Dotterel. 
  The 
  Grey 
  Plover 
  (Squatarula 
  helvetica), 
  and, 
  as 
  already 
  

   mentioned, 
  the 
  Oystercatcher 
  (Hcematopus 
  ostralegus) 
  , 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  

   seen 
  occasionally 
  during 
  the 
  winter 
  on 
  the 
  mud-flats 
  ; 
  the 
  Golden 
  

   Plover 
  (Cliaradrius 
  pluvialis), 
  although 
  sometimes 
  seen 
  on 
  the 
  

   shore 
  during 
  the 
  same 
  season, 
  is 
  more 
  common 
  on 
  the 
  upland, 
  

  

  