230 The h'ish NaUiralist. [October, 



in Dublin Bay. These records mnst re-appear in the present 

 paper. Such being the case, the writer has freely consulted the 

 publications of the late Mr. A. G. More, and of Thompson, 

 Watters, Yarrell, Williams, Morris, etc., as well as periodicals, 

 such as the Irish Naturalist and Zoologist for some years back. 

 Still, most of the facts recorded in this list of birds from 

 Dublin Ba}', are the result of close personal observation, made 

 for the past ten years, helped by information from Mr. E- 

 Williams, who has always made shore-birds a special study. 

 Shore-birds afford a peculiarly fascinating study to the 

 ornithologist, and yet little is known about their habits beyond 

 such broad facts as that they are migrator}- for the most part, 

 gregarious, and swift of flight. Indeed many observers 

 cannot discern on the shore between the different species of 

 such common genera as Trifiga and Totaniis. 



The want of positive knowledge on this particular branch 

 of ornithology, depends for the most part on the fact that the 

 large majority of ''waders" can only be approached with 

 extreme difficult}'. Their peculiar environment, consisting 

 as it does of large open mud-flats, devoid of cover, very soon 

 teaches them to become war}^ and suspicious, and even when 

 approached, the rapidity with which they run often takes 

 them from proper observing range. Again, some shore-birds 

 are edible (Plovers, Curlew, etc.), and are eagerly sought for 

 b}" the sportsman, which, of course, increases the shyness of 

 the birds ; moreover, many non-edible species (Redshanks, 

 Godwits, etc.), keep company with the former and thus 

 acquire their timid habits. Another reason which adds to 

 the difficulty in determining different kinds of wading birds 

 is the uniformity in the colour of their plumage. 



Indeed, with few exceptions (Sea-pie, Ringed Plover, and 

 one or two others), grey is the predominating shade of the 

 feathers, and the perfect harmon}^ which this presents to the 

 sand of the sea-shore often renders it a hard task to discern 

 these birds, although they may be close at hand. lyastl}^ 

 shore-birds are not song-birds. True it is they possess 

 characteristic notes, generally cries of alarm, often plaintive 

 in nature ; but, when undisturbed, " waders " are usually 

 rather silent. Hence the unnoticed observer gains little or 

 no help from the voice of these birds. 



