COMMON REDSHANK.— SPOTTED REDSHANK. 245 



gether wheeling and screaming about the oaks, and perching 

 from time to time on the upper twigs. Every now and then 

 they dash suddenly to the ground, where, as well as when 

 on the trees, they continually keep up the curious jerking 

 bow, so characteristic of this bird.^^ 



SPOTTED REDSHANK, 



Totanus fuscus. 



Though much rarer than the last described species, the 

 Spotted Redshank has in many instances been met with in 

 the county. Though occasionally feeding on the mud at 

 the mouths of harbours and estuaries, it is more addicted to 

 freshwater ponds inland than the Common Redshank, and 

 is sometimes met with many miles from the sea. From my 

 own notes I select the following instances of its occurrence : — 

 Mr. Ellman informed me by letter that he shot an adult 

 male in autumnal plumage near Eastbourne on Sept. 6th, 

 1851. In the same month I saw at ]\Ir. Swaysland's two 

 specimens, one shot at Shoreham, the other at Amberley ; 

 the latter contained in its stomach a perfect specimen of 

 Lymnceus pereger ; both had nearly assumed the winter 

 plumage. On August 23rd, 1889, a specimen just changing 

 from the summer to the autumnal plumage was shot by the 

 side of a small pond on King's Farm, Cowfold. This is in 

 my own collection, and is the darkest I have ever met 

 with in Sussex. Mr. Jeffery (p. n.) records one shot on 

 August 25th, 1860, and another on the 11th of the same 

 month in 1863, a third on August 29th, 1864, and a fourth 

 on September 26th, 1866, all at Sidlesham ; also one shot at 



