358 Scrajps relating to Natural History , by C. M. Adamson. 



see anytMag of my other friend, or, as he would probably con- 

 sider me, bis enemy ; as the water was rough, I thought if he 

 could, on my departure, he would come ashore ; but I could see 

 nothing of it, though I searched attentively, and I concluded it 

 must have been carried out to sea. However, as I could not cross 

 the gut where I was, I went to the ford at some distance further 

 south, and came back on the opposite side of the gut, all the way 

 looking for it in case it had got across. By the time I got to the 

 other side the tide had run out considerably, and the shore was 

 stony, and if it had got there and had crouched on my getting 

 near it, I could not have seen it, the extent of shore being now 

 so great, and therefore I was obliged to wend my way back with- 

 out it. However I was content with the one I had, and «n pass- 

 ing the watcher's house I had the satisfaction of showing him 

 the bird I in the morning told him I was going to try to get. 

 Though I was almost certain the other bird had been carried out 

 to sea by the wind and tide, I followed the same route next day, 

 but saw no Godwits. The following day also I went the same 

 journey, still thinking I might find the bird if it had come ashore. 

 I followed the high water mark, thinking it would, if alive, be 

 driven up by the rising tide. After a long search, on returning 

 to the island, but at a distance from where the bird was shot, I 

 saw a bird running at the edge of the water quite out of shot, 

 which attempted to rise from the shallow water, but fell again 

 into it. I now saw the bird was mine, as the water was quite 

 shallow and the wind was blowing strong on shore. It again 

 took the water, but I was quickly within shot of it and got it 

 easily, as so soon as it was killed the wind brought it ashore. 

 Now as to the birds and their states of plumage. The first is in 

 a curious state. Both have moulted considerably towards their 

 winter plumage. I think both are males, but the paler bird I 

 could^not make out the sex of, as it was much injured by the 

 shot, and was hit in the back ; but it is strange there should be 

 so much dijfference in their style of moulting. The dark bird 

 would seem to have commenced to moult previous to its having 

 lost its summer condition, as all the renewed back feathers and 

 scapulars much resemble the bird's spotted summer plumage, 

 and the feathers renewed on the breast amongst the red feathers 

 have all come bright buff (they looked when the bird was first 

 killed almost orange colour), but I have little hesitation in saying 

 that before this bird had completed its moult all these renewed 



