318 CHARADRIITDAE 
An adult Sanderling which I presented to the Dublin 
Zoological Gardens soon became very tame and grew fat 
on softened bread, minute seeds, and chopped meat. It 
enjoyed the society of a Knot and a couple of Turnstones, 
which occupied the same aviary. After feeding it would 
stand with one leg gathered up among the breast-feathers. 
It often remained an hour in this attitude, and when dis- 
turbed would at first lazily hop about on one leg as if lame, 
a common habit of many wading-birds. 
It did not assume its full winter-plumage until early 
in February, and retained it until the middle of May. It 
was deposited in the aviary on August 7th, 1900, its 
plumage then being in a transition stage from nuptial to 
winter; it was accidentally killed on July 2nd, 1901, having 
half moulted into nuptial dress. 
Nest.—The nest is a depression, usually scraped in the 
barren soil of the high Arctic regions. The eggs, four in 
number, are olivaceous in ground-colour, blotched and 
spotted with various shades of brown. 
Dr. Walter observed that the Sanderling appeared on the 
Taimyr Peninsula ‘‘ about the ae and in the middle 
+ > 
of June one could observe its breeding-evolutions. The 
male rises with quivering wings about ten feet above the 
eround, at the same time uttering a harsh note, trrr- 
trrr-trrr, and then descends. ‘The nests, found late in 
June and early July, contained four eggs each in three 
cases, and three eggs in one case. The nest was placed, 
unlike that of the other waders, which affected the grass- 
covered portions of the Tundra, between bare clay lumps 
on moss, and consisted of a shallow depression lined with 
a few dry straws and a white tangle. In two cases the 
male, and in two the female, was incubating. On the 
16/29 July, when the young in down were taken, the male 
showed anxiety, but the female was not seen. During the 
breeding-season some of these birds wandered about in 
small flocks. This species remained until the end of 
August.” 
The eggs were “ Blunt pyriform, fine-grained, with a 
faint gloss. Ground-colour, pale yellowish-white, with a 
very pale greenish tinge, and somewhat marked with small 
yellowish- brown and dark brown spots; a few indistinct 
light violet-grey markings; at the larger end a few blackish 
dots and streaks.” Average measurement ranged from 33:1 
by 24°4 mm. to 38°2 by 24°7 mm. 
