AND NEIGHBOURHOOD. 99 



bended in these Notes. The Bar-tailed Godwit 



breeds in the extreme north-east of Europe ; in the 



British Islands it is a bird of double passage, 



appearing on our coasts with more or less regularity 



and occasionally in very large numbers in April and 



May, and again in August on its return to its 



southern winter quarters ; a few linger on our shores 



throughout the summer, though there is no evidence 



of then' ever having nested in our country ; in winter 



the Godwit is only exceptionally to be met with 



at its British halting-places, though more or less of 



this species may be found in the cold season on 



the south-west coast of Ireland : a small flock 



frequented the shores of the Shannon below Kilrush 



in the very severe weather of December 1854. My 



principal acquaintance with the present species was 



formed durino; several weeks' residence on the coast 



of Merioneth in August 1851 ; a flock of perhaps 



fifty or sixty then used to assemble within sight from 



our windows, on the sand-banks at the mouth of 



a considerable river, as soon as the tide began to 



ebb, and with a good telescope it was easy to observe 



their movements as they ran to and fro probing the 



soft sand for food, or stood awhile on one leg 



with heads and necks drawn in close upon their 



shoulders ; in this flock we did not detect a single 



individual with any trace of the conspicuous red 



summer plumage of the adults (in which dress many 



are to be met with on our eastern coasts in May) ; 



these Godwits were naturally very tame, and on the 



rare occasions that we found them unattended by 



other species, would allow us to run down upon 



them under sail to within half-gunshot range ; but 



as there were generally two or three Curlews or 



h2 



