108 
CHARADRIIDiE. 
weeks there had been a good many in Tralee market. It is said 
to visit the shores of Connemara. 
Daring two seasons^ in my younger days, much devoted to shore- 
shooting in'Delfast bay, I looked forward with extreme pleasure 
to the coming of the grey plover, which, being the latest of our 
regular autumnal visitants in making its appearance, completed, 
as it were, the catalogue of migrants for the season ; and the whole 
riches of the beautiful order of birds to which it belongs were 
strewn upon our coasts. Early in the bright and lovely October 
mornings, after a slight frost, I was accustomed to meet with this 
bird in little flocks, feeding at low water about the plashy spots 
in the banks of Zostera, when, wary as it always was, I occasion- 
ally managed to get a successful shot. The species was particu- 
larly interesting to me, from offering conspicuously, in its general 
contour — large head, full bright eye, and short bill — such a con- 
trast to the other shore-birds, the Numenii, Lhnosce, Totani, and 
Tfingce, aided perhaps by association with our beautiful golden 
plover, the denizen of our wild mountain moors. 
Two or three grey plover generally appear together, and any 
number to about a dozen is not rare. Of late years the species 
has been rather more numerous. On Sept. 26, 1846, one flock 
of above twenty, and tliree smaller flocks, were observed ; nine 
birds were procured at two shots. Montagu, probably with 
reference to Devonshire, remarked that seldom more than six 
or seven are seen in a flock and our oldest shore-shooter before 
alluded to, remarked to me many years ago that he had rarely 
observed more than eight together. According to Wilson and 
Audubon, it is much more numerous in the United States of 
America. Earely is this bird associated with other species in 
Belfast bay. An intelligent shooter remarks that, although very 
wary at all times, it seems to be even more so by night than day, 
as he can never at that time obtain a shot, though he can occa- 
sionally by day. This, he considers, may be owing to the bird^s 
seeing him better than he can distinguish it. The form of the 
eye indeed teUs us that its sight must be superior to that of 
man by night. The grey plover, consequently, feeds much at this 
