SCOLOPACIDAE—GODWITS.
255
Mr. Bond found it common round Southend (23. 39) early in Sept., 1842 A
few small flocks were seen round Leigh in Jan., 1871. It is only seen on the mud-
flats there during hard weather or at the time of the autumn migration, and is
never very numerous (Smee—34. 2605). Mr. Ambrose says he has received it
from Mersea. In the Parsons Collection are specimens shot on New England in
Aug., 1834, and on May 23rd, 1836. On April 23rd, 1868, Mr. Harting met with
a party of eight on the ooze at Canvey Island and shot three in fine spring plum-
age after a long and difficult stalk. The Rev. M. C. H. Bird shot one on Canvey
Island on Sept. 9th, 1880, and saw a pair there on Aug. 29th, 1882. Mr. Hope
remarks that it is getting very scarce now on our coast.
Bar-tailed Godwit: Limosa lapponica. Locally, " Prine,"
" Preen," or " Prean."
A fairly-common visitor to our coast, chiefly when on migra-
tion in spring and autumn.
The Parsons
Collection con-
tains a specimen
shot on New Eng-
land, in 1829, and
another shot on
Shoebury shore in
1836. Parsons has
many notes on
this species (22),
which was evi-
dently common on
migration. He
does not often re-
fer to them in
spring, but fre-
quently in au-
tumn. They seem
to have arrived
early in August:
for instance, on
August 5th, 1834,
he shot two, and on August 15th, 1830, several. On Oct. 22nd, 1835, he writes :
" [I was] on the shore all tide-time to-day, and did not see one. I have be-
fore remarked that they frequent our shore a short time when they first come in
the autumn, and about this time leave again, and do not return in any quantity
unless we have hard weather, and then we sometimes have great quantities. A
month ago, there were a good many on the shore."
Thus, in Jan., 1838, during hard weather, he notes a great many about.
At Harwich it is "very common some seasons" (Kerry). In 1858, Mr. Stacey
preserved one shot at Great Canfield. A specimen from Oakley in 1861 is in
the Bree Collection. Mr. Fitch writes : " Our Maldon gunners confirm Mr.
Abel Chapman's statement (Bird-Life of the Borders, p. 245) that ' this is one of
the most abundant of our winter wild-fowl.' Contrary to the opinion of many
modern writers, it remains throughout the winter like the Knot."