37^ REV. J. m. hick's report of 



conspicuous on a former visit, were now out of flower. Insect 

 life, too, had yielded to the oncome of autumn. The bird life 

 about the island, though it included nothing at all startling, 

 was nevertheless interesting and characteristic. Among the 

 sandhills were many redwings and one small party of field- 

 fares. The latter bird I had seen a month before congregating 

 on the Norwegian coast, preparing for their migration. 



A single woodcock was put up among the bents. I 

 remember seeing a great number of these birds at later date, 

 during one visit to Holy Island many years ago, evidently 

 just arrived, from their tired appearance, after being buffeted 

 by a gale. Thrushes and blackbirds, which were also in 

 scattered parties in the sandhills, were doubtless immigrants 

 like the redwings and fieldfares. A striking juxtaposition of 

 summer and winter birds was provided by some house martins 

 that were still lingering about their nesting quarters in the 

 Priory. Lapwings were very numerous all over the Island, 

 and linnets near the village. Skylarks were singing merrily 

 during the morning. Two hawks, a kestrel and a hen sparrow 

 hawk, were seen about the sandhills. But the main object of 

 the ornithologists was naturally to see what they could of the 

 waders and sea birds. On the spits of rock the most con- 

 spicuous and noisy were the redshanks. One large party of 

 turnstones was seen, a good many oyster-catchers, and many 

 small flocks of dunlins. Near the Pond on which there were 

 many coots and waterhens, a solitary sanderling was running 

 about busily feeding. At first I thought it must be a wounded 

 bird, as it allowed me to approach within a few feet, but it 

 apparently was quite uninjured and could fly well. I tried a 

 snapshot photograph of it, but the light was so bad, both from 

 the lateness of the hour, and the overcast sky, that no result 

 was obtained. Curlews were seen and heard in all parts of 

 the Island, and out on the flats they were almost the only 

 waders that could be detected; this of course on account of 

 their size, not because the smaller waders were not there. 

 The best time to see the waders is at high water, when thev 



