THE KNOTS. 
235 
very easily imitaited, is one of the most familiar to shore-shooters 
at that period of the year. It often associates with flocks of 
Dunlins, and rests with them on the shingle at high tide, and 
feeds with them on the mud-flats when the water has receded. 
Although, as recorded above, I have been witness to the migra- 
tion of Knots by day, I have also heard them passing over 
London by night, and have many times whistled to them from 
the top of Primrose Hill. In the old days of shore-shooting at 
Parham Harbour, when I have been waiting for the dawn, I have 
seen them arrive from the north at daybreak, and have whistled 
them down from the sky. These arrivals are nearly always young 
birds, and they appeared so glad to know that some of their 
species were in the neighbourhood, that they have often 
descended to within twenty yards of my boat and commenced 
to feed ravenously. When seen at such a close distance, the 
Knot is an extremely pretty bird, and can easily be distinguished 
from other shore birds by its plump appearance. When flying 
it utters a musical note like the syllables tid-iui, tiii-tui. 
Nest.— Described as being placed close to a stream and 
composed of a few leaves and dried grass loosely put 
together. 
jjggs. — Lieutenant Greely — who took an egg fully developed 
from the body of a female Knot — told Mr. Seebohm that it was a 
very handsome egg, very boldly blotched, and about as large as 
that of the Common Snipe. My friend Mr. J. T. Thotiiasson was 
recently informed by Cnptain Bendire that, up to the present 
time there is no authentic egg of the Knot in the United States 
National Museum at Washington. One egg is in the British 
Museum, to which it was presented by the late Mr. Seebohm, 
who states that it was from a clutch of four sent with the parent 
bird from Disco in Greenland to Mr. Versler in Copenhagen, 
who had received it from Mr. Bolbroe, the original captor. 
The egg is of an olive stone-colour with the usual spots, and 
confluent blotches of reddish-brown or black congregating near 
the large end of the egg and mixed with the under-lying grey 
markings, which are very prominent. It looks exactly like the 
kind of egg one might expect the Knot to lay. Axis, i '6 inches ; 
diam., I'l. 
