EAST COAST OF ENGLAND. 29 



Swift, Cypselus apus. — At Whitby l.h., May 14th, several at 

 noon to N.W. At Spurn l.h., June 7th, 7 p.m., fifty perched on 

 gallery, none killed. At Hunstanton l.h., May 17th, one. 



Wood Pigeon, Columha ixdumhus. — At Hasbro' l.v., May 

 28th and 30th, one each day to E. 



Dotterel, Eudromias morinellus. — At Spurn l.h., May 15th, 

 four seen near Kilnsea ; 25th, small flock of eight. 



Kinged Plover, ^Egialitis hiaticnla. — At Teesmouth 5 Buoy 

 L.V., April 2nd, first arrival at their breeding quarters on neigh- 

 bouring sand, where about ten couples nest each year, leaving 

 with the young in the autumn. 



LiMicoL^. — From the 1st to the 18th of May, northerly and 

 easterly winds blew persistently day and night on to the Lincoln- 

 shire coast ; the consequence was that we had an almost entire 

 dearth of all those many flocks of shore birds — as Godwit, Grey 

 Plover, Knot — which visit the Humber mud-flats during the first 

 fortnight in May, on their passage to the north. On the opposite 

 coast of Yorkshire, under shelter of the sandy promontory of 

 Spurn, they assembled in large numbers, feeding daily on the 

 great expanse of muds left uncovered at ebb, and at flood crossing 

 to the sands on the sea side of Spurn. A correspondent writes 

 that, on May 7th, ** countless thousands of waders lined the 

 beach, like wreck, on the sea- side about a mile above Spurn; 

 there were more than had ever been seen at once before." 



Anatid^. — At Flamborough l.h., July 2nd, a flock of Grey 

 Geese were seen flying N. At Goodwin l.v., June 6th, 7.30 a.m., 

 a flock flying to the E. Mr. Gatke reports from Heligoland that, 

 on May 19th, three Snow Geese, Anser niveus, passed boat quite 

 close, "whiter than snow, bills and feet redder than oranges, but 

 alas ! no gun at hand." King Eider, Somateria spectahilis, is 

 reported from the Fame Isles on May 29th, and during the 

 summer (Zool., 1880, p. 514 ; 1881, p. 62). On Feb. 27th, 1880, 

 large flocks of Widgeon came into the Tees, and thirteen were 

 shot by one discharge of a single-barrelled shoulder-gun. At the 

 Outer Dowsing l.v., April 18th, Wild Ducks were seen migrating 

 to N.W. ; and on April 30th, every hour during day, to N.N.W. 

 At the Goodwin l.v.. May 19th, shoals of Ducks from W. to E. 

 From the Teesmouth 5 Buoy l.v., May 25th, 11.30 a.m., my 

 correspondent writes, " Saw two Sheldrakes leave their nest with 

 ten young ones at low water ; had to travel half a mile before 



