324 Allen's naturalist's librarV. 



known, as in Eastern Siberia the Whimbrel is replaced by an 

 allied species, JV. variegaius, which breeds in Eastern Siberia, 

 and passes through Japan and China to the Malayan Archi- 

 pelago and Australia in winter. The ranges of the two species 

 coalesce in their winter quarters in Burma and the Malayan 

 Peninsula, but, as already noticed, information as to the exact 

 division of the summer ranges of the two species is still want- 

 ing. The Whimbrel wanders occasionally to Greenland, but 

 is not known to breed there. In winter it goes south to the 

 Mediterranean, and passes to South Africa. It is also found 

 at that season on the shores of the Persian Gulf and many parts 

 of the Indian Peninsula, occurring in the islands of the Bay of 

 Bengal and on the shores of the Burmese Provinces and the 

 Malayan Peninsula. In the last-named localities N. variegafus, 

 coming from the east, inhabits the same winter quarters. 



Habits. — The quivering note of the Whimbrel gains for it, on 

 some of our southern coasts, the common name of " Titterel." 

 In the autumn it is found in small flocks which are, as a rule, 

 remarkably shy. They feed out on the mud-flats or on the 

 margin of the sea at low water, and, as the tide begins to flow, 

 they gradually retrace their steps towards the shore, until, when 

 the tide has made good head-way, they rise and seek the in- 

 land pastures, after the manner of the Godwits in spring. Thus 

 I found them somewhat diflicult to obtain in autumn, as the 

 birds flew high in the air, keeping up their " tittering " note, 

 and carefully avoided the point of concealment which I 

 selected. Occasionally a young bird will be found singly on 

 the mud-flats and may be procured without difficulty, but I 

 have known the wariness of the W^himbrel to be circumvented 

 at night-time, for have I not often listened to the tale cf my 

 old shore-shooting companion, Alfred Grant of Sidlesham, of 

 how he shot twenty one Whimbrel on the sand-spit of the 

 "Dobbin" in the Pagham Harbour of yore. On one of my 

 old collecting trips for the British Museum I also procured 

 from the little embankment which he had erected for the shoot- 

 ing of the Whimbrel the largest number of shore-birds \^hich 

 it was my lot to procure in my life. He had noticed that at 

 night time the Whimbrel instead of going outside the harbour 

 on to the sand beyond, wxre wont to collect on the " Dobbin," 



