o 
PLOVERS AND SANDPIPERS. III 
in some yet undiscovered part of the Arctic regions, 
retiring southwards to winter in Africa, various 
parts of southern Asia and in Australia. It 1s 
during these journeys between the Arctic regions 
and the tropics that it occurs on the British coasts, 
a few individuals even remaining upon them all the 
winter through. As might naturally be expected it 
is most frequently observed on the vast stretches of 
low coast on the eastern side of England ; it is also 
a tolerably frequent visitor to the south coast, even 
as far westwards as Devon and Cornwall. A few 
Curlew Sandpipers arrive on our coasts in April, 
but the greater number pass along them in May, 
stragglers lingering until June. The return flight 
is noticed in August, and consists mostly of young 
birds, the older ones reaching us during September 
and October. The habits of this Sandpiper very 
closely resemble. those of the Dunlin, in whose 
company the bird is very frequently found, and from 
which it may readily be distinguished, even at a 
distance, by its pure white upper tail-coverts. It 
prefers coasts of a muddy rather than a sandy 
character, haunting saltings, estuaries, and muds. 
Here, its actions are much the same as those of all 
these little sand birds; it feeds both by day and 
night ; and often retires during high water to some 
wet land near the sea, to wait the ebb. The food 
of this species consists of crustaceans, worms, 
molluscs, and insects. Its note is described as 
being louder than that of the Dunlin. 
