NESTS AXD EGGS OF AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. gl" 



Professor Alfred Newton has recorded the following note in the 

 '■ Eecords " of the Australian Museum, Sycbiej' (1892) : — ' Having lately 

 occasion to investigate the range of the Sanderling (Galidris arenaria), 

 T came across a memorandum made in the year 1860 of my having seen 

 in tlie Derby Museum at Liveiioool two specimens of the larger race of 

 this species, one in winter dress and the other in incipient spring plumage, 

 botli marked as females, and as ha\ang been obtained at Sandy Cove, 

 in New South Wales, 20th April, 1844, by the late John Macgillivray." 



At a meeting of the Royal Society of Victoria, 8th November, 1894, 

 I read a note on the occiuTence of the Sanderling on the west coast at 

 Point Cloates, near tlie North-west Cajje. 



Mr. Tom Carter kindly forwarded a skin to me with the following 

 memorandum : " I was out with my gun last week (middle of July, 1894), 

 and after a shot at a pai-ty of wadei-s I picked up eight Tiu-nstones, two 

 Little Sandpipers (Limonites rtificnIliH? ), and two birds , as per skin 

 herewith. I take it to be the Sanderling. You will observe there is 

 no hind toe. The other bird was too much smashed to make a skin." 



The skin I passed on to Colonel Legge, who is much interested m the 

 distribution of oiu- Limicohne birds. He replied : " Calidrix arenaria 

 in abraded phunage, with new winter feathers coming on back of wings." 



Since then Mr. Cai-ter has fiu-nished further and somewhat regular 

 data regarding the Sanderling, Tlie following I extract from his letters : 

 " On the 22nd September, 1895, I shot another Sanderling at the same 

 place as last year, and out of a, flock of Waders. I had a stroll out one 

 afternoon and gave the birds I shot to some natives to carry back, but 

 unfortunately they cooked and ate them all before I was aware of their 

 intentions. 



" Mr. D. McLean, a visitor, shot a Sanderling at Point Cloates, 30th 

 December, 1895. 



" 12th December, 1896. I shot an midoiibted Sanderling. It was 

 badly smashed and in poor plumage, so did not make a skin. 



" 5th December, 1897. Shot fom' out of five Sanderlings at one shot ; 

 was camped out at the time and could not make good skins. (This note 

 was accompanied by a pair of skins, which unfortunately were so far 

 damaged by insects in transit as to be perfectly worthless. He also 

 shot two other Sanderlings about the 1st November, which were for- 

 warded to the Perth — Western Australia — Museum). 



" 25t.h April, 1898. Shot two Sanderlings at Point Cloates, and at 

 same locality, 27th November, 1898. Asiatic Dottrels and SanderUngs 

 plentifid now." 



" — June, 1899. Sanderlings, also Turnstones and Little Stints, 

 are here all through the winter, every year." Tliis last note of 

 Mr. Carter's is certainly very puzzling, seeing that these birds, at that 

 time, should be away in some northern clime breeding. 



Returning again to the far away breeding hamits of this wandering 

 bu"d, we find, according to Seebohm's '' British Birds," that " the habits 

 of the Sanderling during the breeding season are little known. It 

 possibly pairs before it leaves its winter quarters, for it has been observed 

 in chase of its mate on the sands. It amves at its breeding place as 

 soon as the snow is sufficiently melted to allow it to find food ; and shortly 

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