Birds. 5347 



never in any numbers, and can readily be distinguished from them by 

 its longer legs and more upright carriage. A flock composed entirely 

 of curlew sandpipers is very rarely to be observed, and I have only 

 once noticed one ; there were in it about ten of the birds, the greatest 

 number I ever saw together: they are wilder than the common dunlin, 

 and, as the flock in which they are is approached, are the first to take 

 wing. I was much interested one afternoon, upon wounding a bird of 

 this species in the wing, to find that it could swim ; for, upon my 

 giving it chase, it swam readily across a small channel of the river, with 

 as much grace and ease as our well known Totanus hypoleucos. The 

 female of the curlew sandpiper is a larger bird than the male. 



This season the knot sandpipers have been very plentiful with us : 

 they made their first appearance on the 22nd of August, in company 

 with a large flock of dunlins, and a few days afterwards were to be seen 

 by themselves in great numbers. These birds are foolishly tame : as 

 one advances towards them they have a peculiar custom of turning 

 round and presenting the whole side of their bodies towards one, and, 

 after they have all veered round, of remaining motionless until one gets 

 quite near to the flock : they watch you narrowly, however, all the time, 

 and seem to be meditating as to what strange thing it may be that is ap- 

 proaching them ; their decision, unfortunately for themselves, generally 

 would appear to be that you are drawing nigh to them with none but 

 friendly intentions, as they do not ever think of taking wing and re- 

 treating until, as it often happens, the terrible gun has sent forth its 

 destructive volley, and numbers of them lie dead or wounded upon 

 the sands. As the flock is on wing the birds can be readily recognised 

 by their peculiar flight : this is slow, in comparison with that of the 

 other sandpipers, and generally low over the surface of the sands : upon 

 observing the direction for which the birds are making, it is no difficult 

 matter, either by running or walking fast, to intercept them, when a 

 most destructive shot can be taken at them, as they will not alter their 

 course the least upon the enemy's approach. 



On the afternoon of the same day in which I first noticed the arrival 

 of the knots, I was attracted, on passing a flock of dunlins, by hearing 

 a strange and peculiarly shrill whistle proceeding from some bird among 

 them : curiosity prompted me to fire, and I had the satisfaction of 

 finding that I had killed a beautiful specimen of the little stint (Tringa 

 minuta), still in summer plumage : this little bird is excessively rare 

 along the western coast of England, and has but been noticed once or 

 twice in the South of Devonshire. The bartailed godwit has been this 

 season unusually plentiful, and great numbers of them have been shot : 



