arrived. No other bird has passed me. Beginning of a splendidly fine autumn day. Cloudless sky, but slight mist and hoar-frost. No Rabbits, though their burrows are all about me. Searching the heather very carefully with glasses, can make out with certainty four Great Plovers, and, I think, a fifth.
6.15.—A few Rabbits about now, but very little en évidence. Those that are, sitting quietly.
6.35.—Flock of twenty-eight Peewits, flying high.
6.45.—Wood-Pigeons flying high. I count twenty-three. Sun now just cresting the fir-trees, and beginning to make itself felt. Looking again, cannot make out the Great Plovers, or see anything but Rabbits.
At 6.50 (an hour at least after the latest period at which the birds would have flown back to assembly-ground) walked towards where I had noted the four or five, and soon put up nine. I then walked all about over the ground usually covered by them, but put no more up. Compare this with the large numbers on previous mornings, and on the evening of the 5th.
Walking immediately afterwards to the amphitheatre, put up two flocks of eleven birds, making, with the nine at the heath, a total of thirty-one birds. This is assuming that these nine birds had not flown to the amphitheatre. They had started in the opposite direction, and I did not see any flying towards it as I walked. Twenty-two birds on the amphitheatre, though a very much less number than that which flew up from it on some mornings in September, is not much, if at all, less than what it has been on some other mornings when I watched there. I now feel assured, however, that the great body of the birds (to the number, probably, of from 170 to 250) have migrated.
October 11th.—5.45 p.m. Along road by moor. Counted fifteen Great Plovers fly off. Saw some near road dancing. Note ceased shortly after 6 p.m. Was never very loud or continuous.
October 14th.—By moor for the Plovers.
5.50 p.m.—A flock of twenty-one birds flew off over the moor, but they did not, I think, rise from heath, but from the amphitheatre. A moment after they had flown by, six others rose from heath, and flew after them.
At 5.55.—Another flock of thirty-four (as I counted them) flew by, and these again seemed to come from amphitheatre.
