19^0. Williams. — The SandcrUno of Dublin Bay. 21 



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winter in the Bay of Dublin in flocks, which largely increase 

 in the months of May and earl}'- in June when passing north 

 on their spring migration. All through the month of May 

 they are most numerous, and they have been observed on to 

 the last week in June. The North Bull, Dublin Bay, is a 

 favourite resort. But I noticed that a locality where the birds 

 might be very conveniently studied was a sand-bank, only 

 slightly raised above high water mark on the south side of the 

 River Liffey, called the Shelly Bank or White Bank, The 

 east or sea side of this bank consists of hard ribbed sand, but 

 between high and low water mark, is a smooth sloping strand, 

 orreatly liked b}^ the Sanderling, especially when the tide is 

 ebbing. A broad deep stream flows round the point, and the 

 west side slopes gently down to the sea-level, where in some 

 places it becomes a kind of softer mudd}^ sand, a very favourite 

 feeding ground of the Dunlin. When the rising tide covers 

 up the feeding-grounds for miles along the shores of the bay, 

 various species of birds resort to the Shelly Bank, which at 

 high tide becomes a long irregular-shaped tongue of land, 

 almost a mile long, and varying from one to two hundred 

 yards across. The middle portion consists of some sand- 

 dunes 'and the rest small sandy hummocks onh' a few inches 

 high, sparsely covered with bent grass. Early in the year 

 1906 I resolved to put this locality under strict observation, 

 frequenting it as often as possible to ascertain all that I could 

 about the movements of the Sanderling, which I found there 

 constantly at high tide. In winter, when the Sanderling, 

 Dunlin, and Ringed Plover associate together in flocks and 

 resemble each other so much at a distance, being grey on the 

 back and white beneath, it is not so easy to separate the 

 different species as it is in summer, when the Dunlin become 

 black underneath, with rusty-coloured backs, and the Sander- 

 ling show the rusty backs but have white underparts. These 

 exceedingly active little waders, running along the margin of 

 the tide in its ebb and flow with incredible swiftness, pursue 

 their food up to their breasts in the w^avelets, or plough with 

 their beaks through the soft wet sand. They are unusually 

 silent birds. When feeding they may be heard occasionally 

 uttering a quiet twittering sound, and on taking wing a sub- 

 dued quickly repeated note like " twick-twick," which exactly 

 resembles one particular breeding-note of the Lesser Tern, 



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