262 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. IFiwfcr — 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 aiid 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 wliite, 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 three summer months, May, June, and July, the 

 Dunlin is common on all the shores of Great Britain, where there aie 

 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 obser\'ing the habits of the seaside Grallatores and 

 Natatores which, in winter, resort to that coast. Numerous as 



