80 THE NATURALIST IN BERMUDA. 



Black-ceowned Night Heron (A. nycticorax). Twelve 

 specimens, whicli I examined in the Bermudas, were all in 

 the spotted plumage of the young ; one of these, shot on 

 the 9th of February, had the irides bright carmine, and the 

 long plumes at the back of the head beginning to appear. 



These birds vary much in size. 



HuDSONiAN Curlew (Numenivs Hudsonicus). Of four 

 specimens which came under my observation, one was shot 

 on the 14th of August, and the remainder in September. 



Great Yellow-shanks Tatlee (Totanus yociferm). 

 The only instance of the vernal appearance of this bird, 

 occurred on the 5th of June, 1852, when a single specimen 

 was killed at Hungry Bay. Like all other birds which visit 

 the Bermudas at that season, it was in beautiful plumage. 



Spotted Sandpiper (Totanus macularius). In 1849, a 

 few of these sandpipers visited the Bermudas between the 

 14th and 28th of April, being the only instance on record 

 of their being seen at that season. In the autumn it is 

 the earliest of the migrants from the north ; and I have 

 reason to believe that a large flight of them passed over 

 the Bermudas on the 31st of July, 1850 : The evening was 

 clear and tranquil ; their note of tvjeet, tweet, was distinctly 

 heard for fuU fifteen minutes, and yet the birds were invi- 

 sible, even with the aid of a telescope. 



This little sandpiper swims and dives with great ease; 

 one which I wounded, feU into the sea, and, on being ap- 

 proached, dived nearly to the bottom of the clear water, 

 which was upwards of three feet in depth ; this it repeated 

 two or three times ; and, on rising from one of these de- 

 scents, near the rock on which it stood, it was captured. 



Black -necked Stilt (Himantopus nigricollis). My 



