BROAD-BILLED SANDPIPER. 363 



specimen, a male in breeding plumage, now in Mr. J. H. 

 Gurney's collection, was obtained on Breydon, iNtay 25th, 

 1856 (Zool. p. 5159), and a third, in Mr. Stevenson's 

 collection, a male assuming its summer plumage, was killed 

 on Breydon the 23rd April, 1868. Mr. William Borrer, of 

 Cowfold, Sussex, possesses an example nearly in winter 

 plumage, obtained near Shoreham in October, 1845 (Zool. 

 p. 1394). In April, 1863, a bird now in the collection of 

 Sir H. S. Boynton was shot on Hornsea Mere, Yorkshire ;* 

 and this closes for the present the list of occurrences of 

 this rare visitant in England. In Ireland a specimen was 

 obtained in Belfast Bay, on the 4th October, 1844, as 

 recorded by Thompson (Ann. Nat. Hist. xv. p. 309). 



It is quite possible that this straggler may be of more 

 frequent occurrence than is supposed, but it is evident that 

 the British Islands lie outside its ordinary routes of migra- 

 tion. Yet it breeds no further off than the fells of Norway 

 and Sweden, which constitute its summer head-quarters ; 

 and on its way to and from these, it visits the coast line 

 and the inland waters of Denmark, Germany, France, and 

 Switzerland. As yet its presence has not been noticed in 

 the Iberian Peninsula, but in parts of Italy, although of 

 irregular occurrence, it is sometimes numerous. It is said 

 to visit the African shores of the Mediterranean, and there is 

 tolerably good evidence that it goes to Egypt as a straggler; 

 it has occurred in Madagascar, but otherwise its winter 

 distribution as regards the Ethiopian region is unknown. 

 From Finland and Northern Russia, where it also breeds, it 

 descends to the shores of the Black Sea, and occasionally to 

 the Kirghiz steppes, in the neighbourhood of the Caspian ; 

 but it cannot as yet be traced to Asia Minor. Nor has it 

 yet been recorded from Turkestan, but Severtzoff obtained a 

 single specimen at Kara-Kul, in the Pamir range, on August 

 17th (Ibis, 1883, p. 75) ; and at Kurachee, and along the 

 Mekran and Sindh coasts, it is decidedly common in winter. 

 It is not recorded from any inland district of India, but both 

 young and adults obtained by Mr. Blyth at Calcutta are in 



* Conleaux, 'I!. Ilnmbcr,' p. I'^'i ; W. E. Clarke, ' Yorks. Vertcbs.' p. 74. 



