JACK SNIPE.— BROAD-BILLED SANDPIPER. 227 



The first week in October is the earliest time of its arrival, 

 as a rule^ but I have met with one on September 1st. It 

 never breeds in this country^ and we are indebted to the late 

 Mr. Wolley, who found it breeding in Lapland^ for a know- 

 ledge of its nest and eggs. The former is stated by Yarrell, 

 vol. iii. j)p. 354-5j to be " made loosely of little pieces of 

 grass and equisetum, not at all woven together^ with a few old 

 leaves of dwarf bircb, placed in a dry, sedgy, or grassy spot, 

 close to the more open swamp. ^'' 



The food of this bird is similar to that of the Common 

 Snipe, and during the breeding-season it makes a drumming 

 noise, which Mr. Wolley likens to the cantering of a horse 

 over a hollow road. 



BROAD-BILLED SANDPIPER. 



Limicola plafyrJiyncha. 



Of this species I am not aware of any example having been 

 obtained in Sussex, except one in my own possession. I was 

 walking near the west end of Brighton and met a boy carry- 

 ing a bunch of birds ; I asked him where he got them and 

 what he was going to do with them. He replied that his 

 father shot them on the beach near Shoreham, and that he 

 was going to see what he could get for them at the poul- 

 terer^s. I asked what he expected that would be, and he 

 said twopence a piece. I then said, " If you like I will give 

 you sixpence for this one;''^ the boy accepted it and was very 

 much pleased, and so was I. He said that there was a large 

 flock, and that his father killed the ten he was carrying at 

 one shot ; with the exception of the one I selected, they were 

 all Dunlins. This was in the latter part of October 18Jj5. 

 On examination the bird proved to be in winter plumage, 



q2 



