OF THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 257 



and flies rapidly and well. When their appetite is satisfied, the 

 entire flock will often stand for a long time on a certain spot and 

 preen their plumage, but even then they are restless, and it is 

 very rarely that all the birds are still at once. They feed as 

 much by night as by day, especially when there is a bright moon, 

 and according to the state of the tide shift their ground a good 

 deal. They are remarkably silent birds, although the note at the 

 breeding quarters is described by Captain Feilden as a wild 

 Curlew-like cry. The food of the Knot is composed of crus- 

 taceans, sand-worms, insects, moUusks, and other small marine 

 animals. In summer it chiefly consists of insects and their larvs, 

 buds of the saxifrage, bits of algae, and probably ground fruits. 

 The flesh of this bird is very palatable, as I know from oft- 

 repeated experience, and in autumn it is often surprisingly fat. 



Nidification. — The eggs of the Knot are unknown to science ; 

 but the downy young were obtained by Mr. Hart, the naturalist 

 attached to the Discovery, during the last British Polar Expedition. 

 The Knot evidently arrives at its nesting grounds in flocks, for 

 a party of fourteen were noticed by Captain Feilden near Knot 

 Harbour, in Grinnell Land, on June 5th. They are described 

 as being always wild and difficult to approach. Pairing began 

 immediately after their arrival, and two males were occasionally 

 seen in chase of a female. During this period they indulged in 

 flights something like those of the Common Snipe, and when 

 descending elevated their wings and beat them together, making 

 a whirring sound, and occasionally uttering a flute-like whistle. 

 The birds were observed at some distance from the coast, feeding 

 near the swamps and pools of this desolate land. The young 

 chicks were hatched by July nth; and when menaced by 

 danger the old birds feigned lameness, and sought by various 

 antics to draw all attention to themselves. One nest is described 

 as being placed under a flat stone which was resting on two 

 other stones, and consisted of a few leaves and bits of dry grass 

 loosely arranged; two others were on the banks of a stream 

 several miles from the sea. Richardson, who derived his in- 

 formation from Surgeon Hutchins, describes the egg of the 

 Knot as " dun colour, . fully marked with reddish spots," but no 

 credence can be put on the statement. The egg obtained during 



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