TEMMINCK’S STINT. 
passing within a fair distance, was secured. It proved to be in the immature plumage, the brown 
featliers on tlie haek being edged Avith a ligliter shade ; legs and feet a dirty olive-yellow ; base of upper 
and lower mandil)les olive-yellow, darkening into brown towards the point. On the 4th (large numbers 
of Waders bad been beard flying over the toAvn the previous night) I Avas again on the Avater, and after 
shooting round the flats all the morning, made my Avmy toAAmrds “The Lumps” shortly after the tide 
commeneed to ebb. The Hook notieed on the preceding day (easily distinguished by a feather cut from 
tlie Aving) put in an ap'pcarance at the accustomed feeding-time, and, fearing be might again disturb 
any Avandering Stint, I availed myself of an early opportunity, and, Avliile hovering over the drain, dropped 
him on to the falling tide, when be speedily disappeared from the scene. While removing the gun from 
my shoulder a small Wader, skimming rapidly under tlie shelter of the bank, eame in view just in time 
to be stopped by the second barrel. This bird showed preeisely the same plumage as the specimen 
procured on the previous day. 
The full Avinter dress is occasionally assumed before the end of summer; while shooting on Breydon 
towards the latter end of August 1873, I met Avitb several speeimens in this stage of plumage. On the 2Gtb, 
after a stormy night and severe thunder storm, during which immense numbers of Waders attraeted by the 
lights remained flying over Yarmouth for several hours, lledshanks in thousands Avere found on the flats 
at daybreak. ToAvards midday, after the tide flowed, flocks of Bedshauks and Greenshanks, together with 
about a eouple of hundred small birds, came doAvn to “The Lumps,” Avhere a score or so of young Common 
Terns had already settled. I had been for some time Avatching several young Kentish Plovers, intermixed 
Avith Hinged PloAmrs and Dunlins, Avhen lialf a dozen Temminck’s Stints were recognized sitting quietly 
within tAA'cnty yards of the boat. These little Waders had been so densely surrounded by the throng that 
no chance had occurred to detect them earlier. The next moment a shot fired on the upper part of the 
Avater put the Avhole body on wing, and I only succeeded in stopping a cou|)le Avith the shoulder-gun. 
Later on in the day I obtained a third, on the edge of the ronds round the mudbanks close to the toAvn, 
and for the next Aveek or so a few stragglers frequented the flats. Two of the specimens Avere adults in 
perfect Avinter plumage, while the third still exliibited a fcAV of the dark feathers of summer, intermixed 
with tlie grey of Avinter, on the hack. 
