THE KNOTS. 
235 
Yonnff Birds.— Very similar to the winter plumage of the 
adu r be ng grey above and white below. They may, how^ 
ever be cafily distinguished by the marbled appearance of 
the upper surface, the feathers being 
before which is a narrow sub-margmal line of bhek. There is 
also a tinge of buff over the throat, breast, and sides of the 
SyNhese parts being thickly spotted with duskybrown, 
especially on the flanks. 
Adult Male in Summer Plumage. — Differs from the winter 
plumage in having the under surface of the body chestnut, as 
well as the eyebrow .and sides of the face. 1 he whole of die 
upper surface also is suffused with chestnut, the feathers being 
black in the centre with chestnut margins, while on the scapu- 
lars and long inner secondaries, the chestnut colour is distri- 
buted in the form of twin spots, often forming nearly complete 
bars • the white of the rump and upper tail-covcrts is strongly 
tlnsed with chestnut, and the black bars are very distinct ; bi 1 
and feet black ; iris dark h.azel. Total length, 10 inches ; cul- 
men, i‘3 ; wing, 6‘5 j tail, 2 3 j tarsus, i i. 
Adult Female in Breeding Plumage.— Similar to the male, but 
not so strongly suffused with chestnut above, and rather p.aler 
chestnut below, with more white on the abdomen than m the 
m.ale, and having still considerable rem.ains of black b.ais on 
the flanks ; the .axillarics regularly barred with black instead of 
being white or only slightly freckled as m the male, total 
length, 10 inches; wing, 6-6. 
Eange in Great Britain.-The Knot is a very interesting bird, 
visiting us in May on its journey northwards, while numbers 
are observed on the return journey in the autumn ; many spend 
the winter on our coasts, and some few, non-breeding birds, 
appear never to migr.ate, as I have known birds m full red 
plumaceto h.ave been shotin June. On the iithx\ugust, 1895, 
a very early date for their return south, I was startled by hearing 
their well-known notes above my garden at Chiswick. A large 
mieration was passing over head at eleven o’clock in the day, 
which was a very hot one, with a brilliant sun, but the birds were 
at too great a height to be seen by the naked eye. At aU Umes 
the Knot seems to be more common on the east ot Great 
Britain, being rare on the western coast of Scotland, but occur- 
