182 BRITISH BIRDS. 



During its sojourn in our islands its haunts ai'e on the sea-shore, in pre- 

 cisely similar situations to those chosen by the Dunlin. It is also often 

 met ^vith on the margin of pools near the sea, as Trell as on the marshes 

 at some distance from the beach. It delights to frequent broad and 

 open stretches of mud and sand, the extensive salt-marshes, and the 

 mouths of large rivers. In many of its habits it closely resembles the 

 Dunlin. It is an active lively little bird, by no means shy, and very fond 

 of associating with other small Waders. Mr. Adamson noticed that a few 

 Curlew Sandpipers that frequented Holy Island for some time appeared to 

 prefer to feed further from the sea than the Dunlins, and haunted the 

 higher sands which were overgrown with reeds. Upon the shore it runs 

 actively to and fro with head bent almost to the gi'ound, in eager search 

 for the small animals on which it lives. Its flight is very similar to that 

 of the Dunlin, and usually taken quite close to the sand, or just over the 

 surface of the water. Sometimes it flies much higher; and not unfre- 

 quently, when a large flock is disturbed, the birds wheel and poise and 

 manoeuvre in the air, their dark backs and light breasts making a pleasing 

 eff'ect as those parts are alternately turned to the observer. 



The food of the Curlew Sandpiper consists of small worms, crustaceans, 

 insects, and both salt- and fresh-water mollusks. It also appears to eat 

 tender roots of marsh-plants, and in summer its fare is probably varied with 

 small ground-fruits. Its stomach often contains a little gravel, or a few 

 bits of broken shells, to aid in digestion. The note of this bird resembles, 

 according to Legge, that of the Little Stint, but is louder. The Curlew 

 Sandpiper obtains much of its food at night, especially if there be a moon. 

 It is always a late bird to retire, and one of the first to make its appearance 

 on the shore at dawn. Saxby says that in Shetland, at high water, these 

 birds resorted to the stubble-fields near the sea to rest until the water had 

 subsided again. In such a novel situation for a bird of this kind they seemed 

 very tame, or trusted to the security which the protective colours of their 

 plumage insured, sometimes allowing him to walk amongst them ere they 

 took wing. 



The habits of the Curlew Sandpiper during the most interesting period 

 of its existence are absolutely unknown. It seems that many birds 

 pair before they quit their winter-quarters; for Legge noticed two Curlew 

 Sandpipers isolated a short distance from a flock of their companions, 

 bowing to each other and going through various other mysteries of 

 courtship. The breeding-grounds of this bird are most probably on the 

 wild lonely tundras that stretch for miles and miles along the shores of the 

 Arctic Ocean, from North Russia eastwards to the Pacific. Even during 

 the breeding-season this little Sandpiper ajDpcars to be sociable. I shot 

 one in the valley of the Petchora in the middle of July ; but as it was in 

 the plumage of a bird of the year after its first spring moult, it was pro- 



