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  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  was 
  out 
  with 
  bis 
  punt 
  and 
  gun 
  all 
  day 
  on 
  the 
  20th, 
  found 
  it 
  

   impossible 
  to 
  obtain 
  a 
  shot, 
  although 
  he 
  was 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  

   successful 
  punt-shooters 
  that 
  I 
  have 
  known. 
  I 
  was 
  out 
  myself 
  

   on 
  several 
  other 
  days, 
  and 
  with 
  the 
  same 
  bad 
  luck 
  ; 
  there 
  was 
  

   no 
  approaching 
  within 
  shot 
  of 
  any, 
  except 
  a 
  few 
  straggling 
  birds 
  

   from 
  the 
  tail 
  of 
  the 
  flock, 
  and 
  these 
  so 
  few 
  as 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  worth 
  a 
  

   shot. 
  It 
  is 
  hard 
  to 
  account 
  for 
  this 
  excessive 
  wildness 
  of 
  birds 
  

   usually 
  so 
  easily 
  approached, 
  more 
  especially 
  as 
  the 
  weather 
  was 
  

   so 
  suitable 
  for 
  punt-shooting, 
  being 
  calm, 
  dry, 
  and 
  mild, 
  a 
  most 
  

   essential 
  state 
  of 
  things 
  for 
  successful 
  Plover-shooting. 
  

  

  This 
  great 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  Lapwing 
  visitation 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  

   made 
  up 
  mostly 
  by 
  strangers, 
  for 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  apparent 
  increase 
  

   of 
  our 
  home-breeding 
  birds 
  in 
  their 
  summer 
  haunts, 
  and 
  not 
  

   more 
  than 
  the 
  ordinary 
  stock 
  of 
  Lapwings 
  are 
  observed 
  where 
  

   they 
  begin 
  to 
  flock 
  in 
  July 
  and 
  August, 
  returning 
  from 
  the 
  

   breeding-grounds. 
  The 
  migratory 
  flocks 
  did 
  not 
  appear 
  last 
  

   season 
  until 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  October, 
  when 
  on 
  the 
  25th 
  I 
  observed 
  a 
  

   large 
  flock 
  flying 
  very 
  high, 
  coming 
  in 
  from 
  the 
  north-east, 
  

   passing 
  over 
  Bartragh, 
  and 
  continuing 
  their 
  course 
  inland 
  

   towards 
  Foxford, 
  probably 
  for 
  those 
  grand 
  feeding-grounds, 
  the 
  

   wide 
  expanse 
  of 
  meadows 
  along 
  the 
  Kiver 
  Moy. 
  The 
  arrivals 
  

   continued 
  all 
  that 
  week, 
  for 
  on 
  enquiry 
  of 
  a 
  man 
  who 
  has 
  good 
  

   opportunities 
  for 
  observing 
  birds 
  coming 
  in 
  from 
  the 
  north, 
  he 
  

   told 
  me 
  that 
  nearly 
  daily 
  that 
  week 
  he 
  had 
  observed 
  large 
  flocks 
  

   of 
  Lapwings 
  flying 
  very 
  high, 
  coming 
  in 
  from 
  the 
  north, 
  and 
  

   passing 
  inland 
  to 
  the 
  south-west. 
  There 
  being 
  very 
  little 
  frost 
  

   during 
  the 
  past 
  few 
  winters, 
  the 
  Lapwings 
  did 
  not 
  leave 
  for 
  

   southern 
  haunts, 
  as 
  they 
  usually 
  used 
  to 
  do 
  on 
  the 
  appearance 
  

   of 
  the 
  first 
  heavy 
  frosts, 
  but 
  remained 
  all 
  through 
  the 
  winter, 
  

   until 
  leaving 
  for 
  their 
  breeding-haunts 
  in 
  March. 
  

  

  Golden 
  Plover 
  have 
  for 
  the 
  past 
  eight 
  or 
  ten 
  years 
  visited 
  us 
  

   in 
  greatly 
  increased 
  numbers, 
  and 
  stands 
  of 
  five 
  hundred 
  to 
  a 
  

   thousand 
  birds 
  are 
  often 
  seen 
  where 
  formerly 
  two 
  hundred 
  to 
  

   three 
  hundred 
  would 
  be 
  considered 
  large 
  stands 
  ; 
  indeed, 
  one 
  

   day 
  last 
  winter 
  I 
  saw 
  a 
  large 
  flock 
  hovering 
  over 
  the 
  Rinroc 
  

   Sands 
  that 
  certainly 
  could 
  not 
  have 
  numbered 
  less 
  than 
  two 
  

   thousand 
  birds. 
  When 
  out 
  in 
  my 
  shooting-punt 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  

   mornings, 
  I 
  have 
  been 
  very 
  much 
  interested 
  watching 
  the 
  

   Golden 
  Plover 
  assembling 
  on 
  the 
  sands 
  after 
  their 
  night's 
  

  

  