CURLEW-SANDPIPER 303 
When immature Curlew-Sandpipers first reach our 
shores in early autumn, they, like many other Arctic-breed- 
ing birds, show little fear of the presence of man. For 
instance, on September 4th, 1900, 1 approached close to a 
party of ten of them and watched them gently ‘ pick-axing’ 
with their curved beaks in the muddy ooze. A few, tired 
after their long journey, were sleeping, their beaks buried 
in the feathers of the wings. ‘The active members of 
the party kept up a soft and rather musical chatter. 
I have known a solitary Curlew-Sandpiper, when feeding 
with a flock of immature Dunlins, to allow me almost within 
erasping-range of it. Approaching closer, 1t was highly 
amusing to see its tall figure, hastily retreat with stretched 
legs and neck, through the flock of more dumpy Dunlin, 
just as a big policeman would wend his way through a crowd 
of excited civilians. 
This bird has frequently been taken inland, viz., from 
the shores of lakes, rivers, and even from the drier pas- 
turage of the hillside.' In August, 1902, I obtained a 
specimen from among a flock which were feeding on the 
muddy banks of the River Maine, co. Kerry, some miles 
from the coast. I noted a few more of the same species 
searching for food over wet meadow-land. 
Flight.—The flight is very powerful; it is somewhat 
more undulating, though less twisting, than that of the 
Dunhn, and equally swift. I have seen Curlew-Sandpipers 
ascend to a great height in the air when disturbed by the 
presence of a hawk. 
Voice.—The alarm-note, heard in autumn, is not unlike 
that of the Dunlin, but is shorter, less plaintive, and often 
distinctly two-syllabled; sounding like tweéty-tweety-twéety, 
tweet-tweet. Sometimes it is a long drawn one-syllabled 
note like twéeze. A chattering is kept up as the birds feed 
together. 
Food.—The food consists of marine insects, small crabs, 
worms, and shell- fish, which are sought for by day and 
night. I have frequently found small glistening pebbles in 
the gizzard of this species. 
Nest.—The nesting-haunts of the Curlew-Sandpiper were 
light and almost uniform in colour, so that several times I have mistaken 
the birds for Curlew-Sandpipers. Putting them to flight, however, settled 
the question, for I then noted the absence of white over the tail, so 
plainly discernible as the Curlew-Sandpiper takes wing. 
' Kight Curlew-Sandpipers were shot out of a flock on the Dublin 
mountains in September, 1879 (Ussher, ‘ Birds of Ireland,’ p. 287). 
