AND NEIGHBOURHOOD. 75 



"when "we found ourselves in the locality, the two 

 barrels, if well timed, generally producing from 

 twenty to thirty birds. The flesh of the Knot is 

 notoriously excellent, and as we had to depend 

 principally upon our guns for food, I had no scruple 

 in taking toll of these succulent millions. The birds 

 killed were without exception in full summer dress 

 and very plump. About the 10th of May their 

 numbers began to decrease very perceptibly, and on 

 the 15th, the last day of our stay, I do not think 

 that we saw more than two or three hundreds in a 

 ride across the most favourite portion of the vast 

 marsh. 



In May 1876 my yacht was lying in the harbour 

 of Santander and a flock of some dozen Knots 

 appeared on the muds on the 9th of that month ; 

 their numbers gradually increased to perhaps 150. 

 On the 22nd I put in four barrels and secured 

 thirty-six. On our return to the yacht after about 

 three weeks' absence we were surprised to find a few 

 of these birds still lingering in the harbour, and 

 my companion, Colonel Irby, shot one of them on 

 June 17th. 



The Knot thrives well in captivity, and the aviaries 

 at Lilford have for many years past never been 

 without more or less of these cheerful and pretty 

 birds. A good many, perhaps the majority, of these 

 captives acquire their full summer dress in early 

 May ; but, on the other hand, a good many have 

 not acquired it during three or four years' captivity. 

 We feed them principally upon broken bread, 

 meat chopped up fine, milk, and meal, and I may, I 

 think, challenge England to produce finer birds of 

 their species. 



