386 BIRDS OF NORFOLK. 
west. On the 25th 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,+ 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 
ereatest 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 Ist I met with and killed two very good specimens of 
the purple 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.” 
+ See also a note on this species by Mr. Gatcombe in the 
“Field” of November 25th, 1865. 
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