Birds. 821 



sometimes on the loose sand. They feed on shrimps, prawns, worms, 

 cockles and shell-fish. On the shore of the Humber were myriads of 

 cockle-shells, from which the fish had been extracted by these birds 

 and other wild fowl. I never saw more than one bird at the same 

 time. 



On the 28th of August, 1 noticed a single cuckoo about two miles 

 from the coast ; and in the afternoon of the same day two more birds 

 settled on the cliffs, about four miles from Spern Head. Upon my 

 remarking to a resident there that these birds generally left Derby- 

 shire about the 1st of the month, he assured me that he had the week 

 before seen fifteen or twenty birds ; so that it appears a considerable 

 number migrate from this coast. 



About the beginning of August, a fisher boy was rambling about 

 Spern Head, and discovered a pigeon resting on the top of the house 

 of one of the seamen that manned the life-boat. He procured a gun 

 and killed it. When plucking off the feathers, he observed one 

 which attracted his notice, and kept it on account of its beauty. The 

 bird was a carrier pigeon, and had been sent from Hamburgh ; and 

 on this feather (the fourth of the wing) was a drawing of exquisite 

 design and execution. The ground colour of the feather was of a 

 light dove, the figures being wrought in black. In the centre of a 

 ring were two doves, each holding a letter, and near it the initials of 

 the owner and the number 119, round which was a motto in German. 

 The whole drawing occupied a space of about an inch square. This 

 feather is still preserved at Spern Head as a great curiosity. 



Spern Head and the neighbouring coast appear to be selected as a 

 landing-place by most of our northern birds of passage, w T hich alight 

 there in multitudes at particular seasons. About October, large flocks 

 of gold-crests, consisting of thousands, arrive there, and settle on the 

 cliffs and coarse herbage peculiar to the spot. They are sometimes 

 so exhausted as to be taken up by the hand and easily killed. They 

 keep coming in parties for a week or more, and then disappear, jour- 

 neying, no doubt, more inland. A gentleman who resides on the 

 coast, and has frequent opportunities of observing them, assures me 

 that the crests of these birds are of three colours, two of which are 

 gold and red. The latter I suppose to be fire-crests. 



Woodcocks arrive about the first week in October, in small parties, 

 but disperse soon afterwards. When they first reach shore, they are 

 so exhausted as to be easily killed w T ith sticks, and sometimes taken 

 up by the hand. Two dozen birds have been bagged within a short 

 distance in the course of a few hours. 



