402 VERTEBRATE FAUNA OF LAKELAND 



occurs very sparingly on the marshes near Carnforth, although 

 he showed me a fine specimen shot by himself at the period of 

 spring migration. It is, however, a well-known bird in autumn 

 on the estuaries of the Irt, Mite, and Esk at Ravenglass, which 

 are peculiarly well adapted to its habits. Both Mr. Reynolds 

 and Farren know the bird well. From them I learnt that not 

 less than a score of these birds frequented that neighbourhood 

 in the autumn of 1890, though they quite admitted that the 

 species was more plentiful than usual. Oddly enough, although 

 a good many G-reenshanks must cross the breadth of Lakeland 

 in their periodical migrations, they rarely appear to alight to 

 rest on the shores of our inland lakes or on the gravel beds of 

 the larger rivers. Consequently the bird has very seldom been 

 shot by any of our local sportsmen at a distance from the sea. 

 I have, however, identified one or two specimens which had been 

 killed in the neighbourhood of the upper waters of the Eden. 



BAR-TAILED GOD WIT. 



Limosa lapponica (L.). 



The first reference to which attention can be drawn proves 

 that this Godwit was supplied among other LimicolaB to the 

 table of Lord William Howard. Between November 7th and 

 13th, 1612, his steward registered an entry: 'A Godwike and 

 a Redshanke, iij d .' x Dr. Heysham did not include the species 

 in his local catalogue, nor did his son meet with the species 

 abundantly; but in this connection it should be remembered 

 that their experience was almost entirely restricted to the 

 upper marshes of the Solway, which are rarely visited by this 

 bird. Godwits come to the Solway from an easterly and north- 

 easterly direction on passage, and, though I have both heard and 

 seen them flying high over Drumburgh marsh on migration, 

 they seldom alight until they reach the Wampool and Waver 

 estuary. You may notice odd birds flying up to Burgh marsh 

 when exceptionally high tides compel them to desert their 



1 An entry in the Naworth Accounts for August 1621 : ' 3 curlue knaves, 

 vj d ,' probably relates to this Godwit, which is often called a 'curlew 

 knave ' on the Solway at the present time. 



