68 



NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BERMUDAS. 



At six o'clock this morning, Mr. Wedderburn tells me, 

 his boat-boy knocked at his door to inform him there was 

 a Golden Plover in the street close by. Mr. Wedderburn 

 went out and saw the bird wing its way over the white 

 roof of a neighbouring cottage. He afterwards saw a flock 

 of the same birds pass over the town. He then sailed to 

 Burgess' Point and fell in with two flocks of Golden Plover, 

 which were too wary to allow a near approach. There 

 Mr. Wedderburn also saw two large birds which he took 

 to be the " Oyster Catcher," but they were also extremely 

 shy. A Schinz's Sandpiper was observed and shot at in 

 the same locality, without success, and in the evening a 

 Totanus vociferus, or Tell-Tale Tattler, was seen and ap- 

 proached nearly within shot. 



These are very extraordinary facts, concerning which 

 there can be little doubt, Mr. Wedderburn being an excel- 

 lent judge in matters of Ornithology. Why do these birds 

 almost invariably appear in wet and squally weather? — and 

 why have they appeared five weeks earlier this season than 

 usual ? 



Mr. Charles Fozard also tells me, that on the 23rd inst, 

 at 8 p.m., he distinctly heard a flock of Plover passing over 

 the islands in a southerly direction. It was too dark at the 

 time to see them. 



July 2%th, 1848. — Saw a very fine male specimen of the 

 Spotted Sandpiper {Totanus macularius), shot by Mr. 

 Wedderburn at Burgess' Point. It appeared to be in very 

 full plumage, the spots on the lower parts extending from 

 the throat to the tail. Mr. Wedderburn met with no other 

 description of visitants. 



July 29th, 1848. — Was shown a specimen of the Totanus 

 flavipes, or Yellow-Shanks Tattler, killed by Mr. Wedder- 



