SPOTTED SANDPIPER. 233 
referred to by Messrs. Sheppard and Whitear—“‘ Some 
years since we saw a sandpiper flying across a river 
attacked by a hawk, when it instantly dived and re- 
mained under water until its enemy disappeared. It 
then emerged and joined its companions.” It is also 
said by the same authors to occasionally utter a note 
very nearly resembling that of the kingfisher. 
I had always supposed that the following description 
of the “‘ Maychit,” in Sir Thomas Browne’s “ Account of 
Birds found in Norfolk,” referred to this species—“ a 
small dark grey bird, little bigger than a stint, of fatness 
beyond any. It comes in May into marshland and other 
parts and abides not above a month or six weeks,” 
until, in a letter from Sir Thomas to Dr. Merrett* 
(September 13th, 1688) I found the “ Avicula maialis, or 
Maychit,”+ further described as “a marsh-bird, the legs 
and feet black, without heel; the bill black, and about 
three-quarters of an inch long,” which leaves no doubt 
that this bird (from its fatness “accounted a dainty 
dish)” was no other than the sanderling. 
I have omitted the Sporrep Sanppreer (Totanus 
macularius, Temm.) from the present List as I have 
reason to doubt altogether the authority upon which a 
single example was recorded by Messrs. Gurney and 
Fisher as killed at Runton, near Cromer, on the 26th of 
September, 1859. Iam the more desirous also of giving 
publicity to this fact, since the claim of the Spotted 
Sandpiper to be included even in the list of British 
birds, rested solely, for some years, upon the authen- 
ticity of this particular bird;{ and though recorded 
* Wilkin’s edition of Sir Thomas Browne’s works, vol. i., p. 399. 
+ No mention is made of this species in the original edition of 
Merrett’s “ Pinax,” published in 1667. Whether any notice of it 
is given in that published in 1704 I am unable to say. 
{ Mr. Yarrell, it seems, heard of this bird from the late Mr. 
Heysham, of Carlisle, who had seen it in Mr. Gurney’s collection, 
2H 
