WADERS 385 



no individual bird spends more than a few days on our 

 coast, the period being- occupied by the continuous 

 succession of fresh arrivals and departures, lasting till the 

 whole bird-population of these species has completed its 

 passage. The whimbrels, while here, frequent both the 

 mud-flats and sandy shores, and are also much addicted 

 to the rock-pools and weed-covered rocks, where they feed 

 on small dog-crabs and other shell-fish. About the 25th 

 of August, greenshanks appear : always a scarce bird, 

 though every year, at the same date, a few arrive with 

 remarkable persistency at the same pool, slake, or stream, 

 and this, too, although the particular individuals have 

 been shot each year on arrival. The whole of these 

 greenshanks are the young of the year, newly-fledged. 

 The young of the common sandpiper comes down from the 

 moors at the end of July, but only passes a few days on 

 the rocky shores before proceeding onwards for the south. 

 The (larger) curlew- sandpipers are later in arriving, not 

 being due till September, and moving on within a few days. 

 By September 20th they, and the greenshanks, have passed 

 right on and are gone. The ruff is also a scarce bird, 

 though some come every August. "On August 23rd" 

 (my brother writes), "we were rowing up a bight in the 

 slakes, when I chanced to see a bird stretch its wing 

 and gently close it again. It was sitting among grey 

 whelk-covered shingle, and, though close at hand, I 

 could not make it out, so fired at the place. Nothing- 

 flew away. On coming - up, two young knots and a reeve 

 lay dead." 



Some of each and all the species named, may be secured 

 any August by those who know where to look for them : 

 for almost every kind has some special resort to which 



it is more or less confined. But, in order to complete the 



•J B 



