263 - THE DUNLIN 
when a flock was disturbed, the Knots often remained behind, 
being less fearful of the presence of man; in consequence of which 
tardiness in rising they more than once fell to our guns after their 
companions had flown off. On their first arrival, they are said to 
be so indifferent to the vicinity of human beings that it is not difficult 
to knock them down with stones. Their provincial name in Nor- 
folk is the Green-legged Shank, the latter name, Shank, being 
applied for shortness to the Redshank. Dr. Richardson states that 
‘Knots were observed breeding on Melville Peninsula by Captain 
Lyon, who tells us that they lay four eggs on a tuft of withered grass, 
without being at the pains of forming any nest.’ 
Flocks of young make their appearance early in August, the 
adults arriving a little later. 
THE DUNLIN 
TRINGA ALPINA 
Bill a little longer than the head, slightly bent down at the tip; two middle 
tail-feathers the longest, dusky and pointed; a small part of the 
tibia naked. Winter—throat and a streak between the bill and eye 
white ; upper plumage ash-brown streaked with dusky; upper tail- 
coverts dusky; lateral tail-feathers ash, edged with white; breast 
greyish white, mottled with brown ; bill black; feet dusky. Summer— 
most of the upper plumage black, edged with rust-red ; belly and abdo- 
men black. Young birds have the upper plumage variously mottled 
with ash-brown, dusky, and reddish yellow; the bill is shorter and 
straight. Length eight inches. Eggs greenish white, blotched and 
spotted with brown. 
THE name variabilis, changeable, has been applied to this species 
of Sandpiper on account of the great difference between its summer 
and winter plumage. It was formerly, indeed, supposed that the 
two states of the bird were distinct species ; of which the former 
was called Dunlin, the latter Purre. It is now known that the two 
are identical, the bird being commonly found to assume in spring 
and autumn colours intermediate between the two. 
Except during the threesummer months, May, June, and July, the 
Dunlin is common on all the shores of Great Britain, where there are 
extensive reaches of sand or mud. I have obtained specimens on 
the coast of Norfolk as early as the twenty-fifth of July; but, gener- 
ally, it is not until the following month that they become numerous. 
From this time until late in the winter they are reinforced by con- 
stant additions ; and in very severe weather the flocks are increased 
to such an extent that, if it were possible to number them, they 
would be probably found to contain very many thousands. Such 
a season was the memorable winter of 1860-61, when, during the 
coldest part of it, I made an excursion to the coast of Norfolk for 
the purpose of observing the habits of the seaside Grallatores and 
Natatores which, in winter, resort to that coast. Numerous as 
