NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BERMUDAS. 259 



stock of ammunition wherewith to attack them, and 

 promised specimens of any birds he may kill. 



September \th. — Some strange birds reported to be in 

 the adjoining marsh this evening. Went down with dog 

 and gun, and found a small flock of six or seven Rice 

 Buntings, which rose from the long grass and settled on a 

 cedar bush. One of these I brought home for examina- 

 tion. It proved to be a veritable Dolichonyt oryzivora. As 

 many as a dozen of these birds were seen perched on the 

 tall reeds close by, at an early hour this morning. Is not 

 this unusually early for the autumnal appearance of this 

 Bunting? 



September gtk. — Mr. John Darrell presented me with a 

 specimen of the Water Thrush (Seiurus noveboracensis), 

 recently killed. He reports having shot another of these 

 birds at the same time, and also mentions having seen two 

 Kingfishers, being the first indication of the arrival of these 

 two migrants during the present season. 



September loth. — Flocks of Plover occasionally heard 

 during the night passing to the southward. 



September \?,th. — Yesterday and to-day it has blown 

 freshly from the south to south-west, and a few flocks of 

 Golden Plover made their appearance on our shores, but 

 this evening they were very scarce. In a long walk along 

 the north shore I fell in with but one small flock, and on 

 my return by the sluice gates I observed one Pectoral and 

 four Solitary Sandpipers. 



