Scraps relating to Natural History, by C. M. Adamson. 357 



some dark tail feathers of the mature birds, cast during the regu- 

 lar autumnal moult from summer to winter plumage ; this proved 

 some old birds were about this year at any rate. I may add there 

 was at the time a continuance of south-easterly winds, which may 

 have detained these old birds on their migration this year. A 

 friend of mine went out with a small gun in his punt, and he shot 

 several young birds ; the next day I accompanied him as a spec- 

 tator to see if I could observe any red birds, but the shore is so 

 wonderfully flat there are few places you can take even a punt 

 near where such birds ordinarily freq[uent, and although we saw 

 some Godwits in the distance, only two young birds came within 

 shot, flying over the punt. Being very anxious to meet with a 

 bird in. its red plumage, and being satisfied some were about by 

 the feathers I had found, on the 30th August I called at the 

 watcher's house and told him I was going to try to shoot a red 

 Godwit. I then walked to the Sandriggs, which are very far out, 

 about high tide, and the tides being poor there was little danger 

 of my being overtaken. I saw many large flocks which flew out 

 of sight. One flock of about twenty birds I saw coming towards me, 

 and I lay flat down on the sand. I shot at the flock, which came 

 high, from the north to the west of me, with a now old-fashioned 

 Eley's wire green cartridge No. 3 shot. One bird came flop down 

 dead, another came sloping down, and on its reaching the ground 

 it immediately tried to rise again, when I saw it was winged. I 

 considered it my bird. It ran like a greyhound, I after it, but 

 it had the advantage of one hundred yards start. It ran towards 

 a deep gut running north ; I stopped and shot at it, as I saw if it 

 took to the water the wind and tide would take it away, and I 

 should lose it, but being out of breath, and the bird being at a 

 great distance, I could not stop it, and it took to the water like a 

 little duck. When I got to the water's edge I could easily have 

 killed it, but I at once saw if I killed it any further attempt to 

 get it was hopeless, as a strong S,E. wind was blowing, which 

 made the water rough, and I could not see its depth, the tide 

 running out fast, and it was a place where there are dangerous 

 quicksands, and I was obliged to give it up as a lost bird. On 

 seeing how matters were, I left it to look after the other one, and 

 to my delight, on picking it up, I saw its breast was red. He 

 came down with such a flop his beak was broken by the fall. 

 Well, I wrapped him up carefully and put him safely in my bag. 

 Having done this, I retraced my steps to see if I could now 



