246 THE GAME BIEDS AND WILD FOWL 



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 vi^hich v^^as 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. Eichardson, who derived his information 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. It always seems to the 

 present writer a most unpardonable and incredible piece of neglect on the part of 

 the naturalist attached to the latest British Polar Expedition to have missed the 

 eggs of the Knot. The bird was observed to arrive at its breeding places, to pair, 

 and then actually to be lost sight of until the eggs were hatched ! Several 

 reputed eggs of the Knot are in collections, but none of them are authenticated. 

 The reputed egg obtained by the Greely Expedition near Fort Conger is 

 unidentified, and apparently too small (I'l inch in length by I'O inch in breadth). 

 The egg which was in the possession of the late Mr. Seebohm (which I have 

 examined), although unauthenticated, is more likely to be genuine so far as size 

 is concerned, being similar to that of the Common Snipe, but paler in ground- 

 colour. This egg was obtained at Disco, in Greenland ; in my opinion a locality 

 much too far south. This, however, is not the most southerly locality at which 

 reputed eggs of the Knot have been obtained. Mr. Eaine, in his Bird-msting in 

 North-west Canada, figures and describes what he asserts to be two eggs of this 

 bird, taken on the 20th of June, 1889, at Esedodavmsi, in Iceland ! The account 

 is circumstantial enough, but, unfortunately, the parent birds appear not to have 

 been obtained or even identified. It is only fair to say that Mr. Eaine's eggs 

 agree apparently in colour with that obtained by Lieutenant Greely, but are larger 

 in size and, certainly, judging from the illustrations, very abnormal in appearance. 

 The nest is described as a depression lined with bits of drift weed, the eggs as 

 having the ground-colour pale pea-green, finely speckled with ashy-brown ; size, 

 1-5 inch in length by I'O inch in breadth {op. cit. p. 188, PI. II., Figs. 1 and 2). 

 Mr. Eaine's collectors seem to have been fully aware of the importance of their 

 discovery, and were too anxious to wait, after finding the nest with two eggs, for 

 the full complement to be laid. I can only repeat that without authentication 

 the eggs must be rejected by scientific naturalists as valueless. I might also 

 remark that the Grey Phalarope breeds in Iceland, and that in nuptial plumage 

 it bears a somewhat close resemblance to the Knot in breeding dress, both 

 species having the under-parts rich chestnut during summer. The Knot rears 

 one brood only in the year, and as soon as the young can fly they and their 

 parents migrate south. 



Diagnostic characters — THuga, with the ground-colour of the upper 

 tail coverts white, the wing from G'S to 6"J inches in length, and the bill from 

 15 to I'l inch in length. Length, 10 inches. 



