386 BIRDS OF NORFOLK. 



west. On the 25tli of September, 1863, he also saw 

 several at Hunstanton.^ 



This interesting' species, which frequents almost ex- 

 clusively the weed-covered rocks on the sea shore or 

 the margins of tidal waters in close vicinity to the coast, 

 has, from recent observations, been found to exhibit 

 peculiar and distinctive actions in its search after food, 

 for which its long prehensile feet and short but stoutly 

 formed tarsi would seem to be specially adapted. Mr. 

 Gatcombe, of Plymouth,t as quoted by Mr. Gould in his 

 " Birds of Great Britain," thus describes the habits of 

 this species when found on the rocks in rough weather : 

 *' On seeing a large wave approach it crouches and holds 

 on the rock, allowing the spray to dash completely over 

 it, and on the wave receding, rises and displays the 

 greatest activity in picking up its food until another 

 wave compels it to crouch again." As stated also by 

 Mr. J. H. Gurney in the " Zoologist" for 1865 (p. 9468), 

 a somewhat similar proceeding on the part of a pair of 

 these sandpipers, killed in December, 1864, at Lancing 

 "Water, a long broadish pool lying between Worthing 

 and Shoreham, was remarked by Mr. Wells, a bird- 

 stuffer, at Worthing. He was struck by their habit " of 

 dipping suddenly under water with a plunge, so much 

 resembling that of the water rat, that when Mr. Wells 

 first saw one of these birds perform this action, he 

 actually mistook it for a water rat, and it was not until 



* Mr. Hele, in his " Notes from Aldeburgh " on the Suffolk 

 coast, in the "Field," of November 17th, 1866, remarks — "On 

 November 1st I met with and killed two very good specimens of 

 the pui'ple sandpiper along shore between Aldeburgh and Thorpe. 

 These are rare birds in this locality. The food consisted of small 

 shell fish and small quantities of the organic remains of the mud- 

 carrs." 



t See also a note on this species by Mr. Gatcombe in the 

 " Field" of November 25th, 1865. 



