HABITS OF THE GREAT PLOVER. 471 



arrived. No other bird has passed me. Beginning of a splen- 

 didly fine autumn day. Cloudless sky, but slight mist and 

 hoar-frost. No Rabbits, though their burrows are all about me. 

 Searching the heather very carefully with glasses, can make out 

 with certainty four Great Plovers, and, I think, a fifth. 



6.15. — A few Rabbits about now, but very little en evidence. 

 Those that are, sitting quietly. 



6.35.— Flock of twenty-eight Peewits, flying high. 



6.45. — Wood-Pigeons flying high. I count twenty-three. 

 Sun now just cresting the fir-trees, and beginning to make itself 

 felt. Looking again, cannot make out the Great Plovers, or see 

 anything but Rabbits. 



At 6.50 (an hour at least after the latest period at which the 

 birds would have flown back to assembly-ground) walked towards 

 where I had noted the four or five, and soon put up nine. I then 

 walked all about over the ground usually covered by them, but 

 put no more up. Compare this with the large numbers on 

 previous morniDgs, and on the evening of the 5th. 



Walking immediately afterwards to the amphitheatre, put up 

 two flocks of eleven birds, making, with the nine at the heath, a 

 total of thirty-one birds. This is assuming that these nine 

 birds had not flown to the amphitheatre. They had started in 

 the opposite direction, and I did not see any flying towards it as 

 I walked. Twenty-two birds on the amphitheatre, though a very 

 much less number than that which flew up from it on some morn- 

 ings in September, is not much, if at all, less than what it has 

 been on some other mornings when I watched there. I now feel 

 assured, however, that the great body of the birds (to the number, 

 probably, of from 170 to 250) have migrated. 



October 11th. — 5.45 p.m. Along road by moor. Counted 

 fifteen Great Plovers fly off. Saw some near road dancing. Note 

 ceased shortly after 6 p.m. Was never very loud or continuous. 



October lUh. — By moor for the Plovers. 



5.50 p.m. — A flock of twenty-one birds flew off over the moor, 

 but they did not, I think, rise from heath, but from the amphi- 

 theatre. A moment after they had flown by, six others rose 

 from heath, and flew after them. 



At 5.55.— Another flock of thirty-four (as I counted them) 

 flew by, and these again seemed to come from amphitheatre. 



