822 Birds. 



Turnstones come to the sea-shove about the beginning of August, 

 and remain through the winter, when they depart, They are not dif- 

 ficult to kill at high water. A person wishing to shoot them secretes 

 himself as well as he can among the rank vegetation, at a convenient 

 distance, and as the waves advance towards the shore, the turnstones 

 advance also, keeping just at the edge of the water, to procure shell- 

 fish and marine insects, and at this juncture they are easily killed; — 

 six or seven may be shot in a morning. They are generally in par- 

 ties of from two to eight or nine birds, but occasionally fifty or sixty 

 may be seen together. When properly cooked for the table, the flesh 

 is dark-coloured, well-flavoured and pleasant. As the tide retreats, 

 the birds retreat also, and cannot then be procured, owing to the soft 

 and inaccessible nature of the shore they frequent. 



Wild fowl are said to be far less abundant about Spern Head than 

 formerly. About sixty years ago it was not unusual to find them in 

 such multitudes, that when they rose into the air, the rush of their 

 wings might be heard a mile, or sometimes even more. Now they are 

 fewer in number, owing to the drainage of the marshes and swamps 

 which they haunted. These congregations consisted of golden-eyes, 

 wigeon, teal, ducks, &c. 



Landrails come twice every year ; six or seven may be killed in a 

 morning. 



Quails are scarce ; one or two may be noticed in a season. 



In hard winters snowflakes come from the north by thousands, but 

 do not stay, and are only seen on their passage southwards. 



Most birds of passage come with easterly, north-easterly and north- 

 erly winds, and generally when the moon is at the full. 



Although woodcocks, when arrived at their haunts, keep pretty 

 much to the ground, yet it appears that when on travel they take a 

 very high range in the air. The captain of a vessel which sailed 

 between England and Russia, said, that once when he was near Got- 

 tenburg, he fell short of provision, and put a boat to shore. As he 

 travelled over some country covered with tall plants and bushes, he 

 put up a party of woodcocks, which rose into the air to such a height 

 as to be only just discernible. At a later period on the same voyage, 

 when the vessel was near England, he happened to be looking through 

 his glass at the clouds, as was often his custom, when he discovered 

 a small bird, at such an amazing height that it seemed no bigger than 

 a lark. lie kept his eye attentively upon it, and after watching it 

 closely for some time, he perceived it lower its flight, and descend bv 



