148 THE BIRDS OF DEVONSHIRE. 



CURLEW SANDPIPER.— 7V-m^« subarqnafa (Giild). 



A SCAECE autumnal visitant. Mr. Gatcombe once 

 saw a compact flock, consisting of more than a 

 hundred, flying across the mud banks of the river 

 Lynher, but it usually appears either in small 

 parties of its own species, or associating with the 

 Ringed Plover and Dunlin, from the last of which 

 it may readily be distinguished by the white upper 

 tail-coverts, longer legs and more upright carriage. 

 Adults are always rare, and 1 have only examined 

 immature birds in the County, but the Rev. M. A, 

 Mathew killed two adult males in fine summer 

 plumage, in August and September, 1856, upon the 

 sandy flat of the Taw estuary. 



PURPLE SANDPIPER.— 7V/?j^« striata, Linn. 



A WINTER visitant to the coasts of Devon. Mi-. 

 Gatcombe writes that, " Small parties of the Purple 

 Sandpiper visit the rocky Coasts of Devon and 

 Cornwall every year, arriving at the latter end of 

 October, and remaining until the spring ; but during 

 the last two months [November, 1865 — January 

 1866], they have been unusually abundant. A few 

 weeks since, on visiting the Plymouth Breakwater 

 with a friend, we fell in with several flocks, from 

 which we obtained many specimens. When feeding 

 on the rocks during stormy weather, the Purple 

 Sandpiper has a habit of crouching on the 

 approach of a large wave, holding firmly on to the 



