220 The Irish NaUiralist, October, 



frequenting the Bay of Dublin during the month of July ; and 

 the peculiarities of plumage acquired by the non-breeding 

 Sanderling during that month, when there is only a very short 

 interval before they begin to assume the winter plumage. 



I think it may be taken for granted that all the birds noticed 

 during the month of July were non-breeders, either old or 

 barren. Then the question would be, Did the}- remain behind 

 in the bay and on the Drogheda coast, when the main body 

 was speeding to their far northern breeding haunts in May or 

 early in June ? Or were they, as non-breeders, the early 

 outposts of the main flocks on their return later, old and 

 voune, from the north ? It is a curious fact that in Scotland, 

 on the Outer Hebrides, which lie in the same longitude as 

 Ireland, and yet so much farther north, Mr. J. A. Harvie-Brown 

 informs me Sanderling have never been known to remain there 

 later than May, although they occur abundantly on the sands 

 of Barra in August. Why should they select our coast to 

 remain until they become almost too fat to fly? One killed 

 on the Shelly Bank whilst flying past at a height of only 

 6 feet, was so enormously fat, and its skin distended so much, 

 that it burst open on touching the ground. There must be 

 some unusual inducement in the way of food provided on the 

 bank, for I have constantly observed the Sanderling desert 

 the ^^K%^ of the tide and greedil}^ pick up food on the dry 

 raised parts. 



On the North Bull I have noticed them also away from 

 the water busily feeding in very short grass ; the flock spread 

 out like feeding Starlings, moved carefully forward picking 

 amongst the stems ot the grasses. It may be that they vary 

 their food by eating seeds and land insects., for Prof. Patten^ 

 mentions the case of a Sanderling slightly winged, that he 

 presented to the Dublin Zoological Gardens, which thrived on 

 a diet of chopped bread, seeds, and meat. 



On the west coast of Ireland I met with Sanderling on 

 Inishkea, county Mayo, in multitudes, coming from the north 

 in August ; they were in a very different condition, there was 

 an ab.sence of fat on several old birds examined, but the young 

 birds of the year were in very good condition. 



' "Aquatic Birds of Great Britain and Ireland," p. 318. 



