Birds, 149 



ones, just hatched, and an egg, through which the bill of the 

 young one was just making its way ; yet, young as they were, 

 on my taking out the egg to examine it, the little things, 

 which could not have been out of their shells more than an 

 hour or two, set off out of the nest with as much celerity as 

 if they had been running about a fortnight. As I thought 

 the old one would abandon the egg if the young ones left the 

 nest, I caught them again, and covering them up with my 

 hand for some time, they settled down again. Next day all 

 four had disappeared. 



Montagu says, " It is probable many of the sandpipers 

 are capable of swimming, if by accident they wade out of 

 their depth. Having shot and winged one of this species 

 as it was flying across a piece of water, it fell, and floated 

 towards the verge, and as we reached to take it up, the 

 bird instantly dived, and we never saw it rise again to 

 the surface : possibly it got entangled in the weeds, and 

 was drowned." I quote this remark, because the same 

 thing has happened to myself. I winged a sandpiper ; and, 

 on going to take it up, it fluttered into the water, and dived, 

 but never rose again to the surface that I could perceive, 

 although I watched long and attentively for it. In this 

 instance, the sandpiper could not have been entangled by 

 weeds, inasmuch as the bottom of the river was covered 

 with gravel, and not a weed was growing there. Whether 

 the bird laid hold of the gravel at the bottom with its feet, or 

 how it managed, I cannot tell ; nor have I ever been able to 

 account for it. — T. G. Clitheroe, Lancashire, June 30. 1832. 

 Green Sandpiper (Totanus ochropus). — Is the green sand- 

 piper a resident in Great Britain, or only a periodical visitant ? 

 With us it is only found in July, August, September, and, I 

 believe, October. It has been shot in May at Newcastle, and 

 1 have observed it at Capel Curig in June. It seems by no 

 means rare there : there were at least tw r o pair constantly 

 about the lake, near the inn, and I saw others near the en- 

 trance to the Pass of Llanberris : doubtless they breed there, 

 I though I was unable to find their nest. Dr. Fleming tells us 

 they are found from August to April. If this be true, they 

 are resident here ; but as I have never heard of an authen- 

 ticated instance of their being found here between October 

 and May, I am disposed to consider them as summer visitants, 

 breeding in the mountainous parts of the country, and de- 

 scending to the lower parts at the period of their autumnal 

 migration, or remaining there a few days on their first arrival. 

 Have any of your correspondents ever observed this bird here 

 in winter, or rather between September and May ? If no one 



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