2i8 T/ic Irish Na/uralisf. October, 



marked. Dissection revealed a curious condition ; it was an 

 adult female, and in a good healthy state, but the ovaries 

 were exceedingly small, and only visible by the aid of a glass. 

 Owing to their non-development the bird was barren, and 

 non-breeding. Probabl}' this fact accounted for the absence 

 of the nuptial plumage ; the bird had never acquired the 

 red pigment, or colouring matter, which is associated with 

 birds in which the sexual impulse or "call" to go north is 

 pronounced. 



On Jul}" i8th I was again on the Shelly Bank and counted 

 32 Sanderling, an unusual number. This year there had been 

 reported an early and warm summer in the arctic regions, and 

 I had been wondering would that affect the numbers of waders 

 visiting our shores later on. This time I was fortunate in 

 obtaining two more specimens, one in grey and one in which 

 there were slight traces of red feathers, and still more of the 

 winter moult spreading. 



Next da}", July 19th, I again visited the coast at Drogheda, 

 but although I walked several miles along the shore, I only 

 met with 8 Sanderling. 



Visiting the Shelly Bank on the evening of July 21st, I 

 found the Dunlin had decreased in numbers, but the Sander- 

 ling were more plentiful than I had ever seen them before. 

 The tide being at the full, all the birds were resting, and both 

 Dunlin and Sanderling were well mixed together, but by 

 manoeuvring I managed to get a good view of them in the 

 bright sunlight, and was able to pick out the white-breasted 

 Sanderling easily, although they were very much scattered I 

 counted up to 100 birds. 



Absence from Dublin for a week prevented further obser- 

 vations, but on July 28th I was again on the Shelly Bank late 

 in the evening, and searched the edge of the incoming tide. 

 The hard ribby sand was covered with crowds of Dunlin, 

 keeping up a shrill chorus as they called to each other, and 

 Sanderling were keeping company with them, holding their 

 beaks down in the little watery hollows, and moving rapidly 

 right and left and in front, in the gathering darkness they 

 w^ere all round me only a few yards away. There were fully 

 100 moving about. 



My last July visit was paid on the 30th, and the Sanderling 

 on the bank were divided up into three flocks, numbering respec- 



