112 BRITISH, SEAr BIRDS. 
Absolutely nothing is known of the nidification 
of the Curlew Sandpiper, and its egg has never yet 
been described. It is, to say the least, remarkable 
that some of the great breeding-places of these 
Arctic birds have not yet been discovered—a fact 
that seems to suggest a vast area of land some- 
where in the vicinity of the Pole. 
DUNLIN. 
Owing to the great seasonal changes of plumage 
which this Sandpiper—the 77znga alpina of most 
naturalists—undergoes, considerable confusion has 
prevailed concerning it. Linnzeus described birds 
of this species in summer plumage as distinct 
from individuals in winter plumage, naming them 
alpina and cinclus ; but Temminck (and before him 
B. Meyer) with greater discernment united both 
under the name of 7: varzabilis. Birds in the two 
plumages have also received distinctive colloquial 
names; in summer dress, the bird is known as 
“ Dunlin,” in winter dress as the ‘‘Purre.” Other 
local names of wide application to this species are 
‘“-Ox-bird,” “Stint,” and ‘‘ Plover’s Page,” the lattes 
being derived from the habit of the Dunlin to 
accompany a Golden Plover, flying to and fro 
over the moors, where the two species chance to 
be nesting. Perhaps the Wryneck has in like 
manner, gained the name of ‘Cuckoo’s Mate” 
from its habit of flying in attendance with that 
bird; although some writers attribute the term 
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