LITTLE STINT. 387 



migrants continue their course to the south and west. They 

 naturally linger a little on our southern coast, extending their 

 visits to Cornwall, hut to the coast of Wales and of the 

 north-west, their visits are unfrequent, and are principally to 

 Lancashire, and the Solway Firth in Cumherland. In Ireland, 

 where the Little Stint remains somewhat later than in Great 

 Britain, its autumnal occurrences in limited numbers have 

 been mainly in Antrim, Down, and on the eastern side of 

 the island. On the spring migration examples have been 

 obtained in the south and east coasts of Great Britain, 

 in May, and even as late as the 19th June, as recorded 

 by Mr. Stevenson. It appears probable that a few non- 

 breeding birds remain on our shores during the summer, 

 for he mentions an example killed at Yarmouth on the 16tli 

 July, and two others shot a week or two previously, and it 

 is not possible that individuals of a species which breeds so 

 late and so far north, should by that time have returned 

 from their domestic duties. 



The Little Stint occurs on its autumnal migration in suit- 

 able localities throughout the greater part of Europe, and, 

 with the exception of the western coast of France, it appears 

 to be almost as abundant on the vernal passage. At the 

 latter season individuals are often obtained in the south of 

 Europe in such advanced breeding plumage, and up to so late 

 a date as to give rise to suspicions that it might breed in 

 such localities as the marshes of the Black Sea, but there is 

 no direct evidence of its having done so. It does not appear 

 to winter — at least not in any numbers — on the northern 

 shores of the Mediterranean ; but a considerable portion 

 remain in Morocco, Algeria, and Egypt, whilst others con- 

 tinue their southward course up the valley of the Nile, and 

 along both sides of the African Continent down to the 

 Transvaal, Natal, and Cape Colony. It visits the Seychelles, 

 Arabia, the coasts and inland waters of India, the Andaman 

 Islands, and Ceylon, but beyond these limits its range 

 becomes difficult to define, being complicated with that of 

 T. albescens, Temm., a species which is almost uudis- 

 tinguishable in winter dress, except perhaps by its con- 



