BIRDS. 



295 



old Mr. Samuel Berry Singer, whom I knew for many years after he 

 settled down at Kincardine-on-Forth, and before his death. This 

 name for Knots became general, and local " shore-poppers " took it 

 up, just as "Pickerell" became the common designation of most of 

 the small waders — generically — in local acceptation. 



The true Grey Plover certainly occurs on the east coast of Forfar, 

 and in our tidal waters of Tay, etc.; but not, I consider, in as great 

 numbers as have been reported. 



Mr. Larnock relates meeting with a large flock of these birds on 

 the 13th September 1902, "amounting to over 50." He says he is 

 perfectly certain there was no mistake with the record. His father 

 shot one, but its head was smashed, and the specimen was not 

 preserved. I must doubt the accuracy of the observation, neverthe- 

 less, for more than one reason — e.g. Grey Plovers do not migrate 

 quite so early as 13th September; nor do they put in an appearance 

 in vast flocks, but only come to our shores in little family parties of 

 from four to six "in a bunch." I have known the Grey Plover as a 

 regular annual migrant to the "slinks" or mud-flats of the Stirling- 

 shire coast, I may say, almost all my life, and I never knew these 

 birds to assemble in great flocks — as Knots do ! I have seen 

 annually Knots in vast battalions of hundreds together. I have shot 

 a good many Grey Plovers in my time, but never did I see more 

 than six together "in a bunch." Greater numbers may be found in 

 flocks elsewhere, but I have never known of such. 



It is not often this bird is obtained in this country in the full 

 breeding garb; but there is one in the Perth Museum which was 

 obtained on tidal Tay, as appears from the list I have received from 

 Mr. Rodger. 



Millais — whose experience of shore-shooting and punting on the 

 east coast cannot be gainsaid — reckons the Grey Plover as "a scarce 

 autumn and winter visitor." He adds: "I once had a long chase 

 after a beautiful specimen — still in full breeding plumage — on Aug. 1, 

 1886, but failed to get it." In this case the question arises: Was 

 this bird one which had remained late and through the summer, not 

 breeding, or was it an unusually early autumn arrival 1 My own 

 opinion is that it was a bird which had remained, due very likely to 

 some physical cause which prevented its departure to the breeding 

 grounds in the far north. 



My friend Mr. W. Evans assures me that his experiences of this 

 species on Forth and on the Tay estuary and Eden mouth are similar 

 to my own — e.g. he has never seen them in large flocks, and rarely 



