428 CHARADRIID.E. 



The Sanderling, — represented by the figure in front in 

 its summer dress, and by tliat behind in the grey plumage 

 peculiar to winter, — is pretty well known on most of the 

 sandy shores of the seas of Great Britain and Ireland, where 

 it is usually found, at the edge of the Avater, in company with 

 the Purre, but is not so plentiful ; it is occasionally seen also 

 associated with the smaller Plovers, which it resembles in its 

 habits, frequenting the harder parts of the sandy shore, run- 

 ning or flying with equal ease and rapidity. It is occasion- 

 ally killed in the vicinity of large pieces of fresh water. 



I have obtained specimens on our southern and eastern 

 coast, or in the London market, in the months of January, 

 April, June, at the end of August, and again in October ; 

 yet this bird is not considered to breed in this country, and 

 I am not aware of any collection that is known to contain 

 unquestionable examples of its eggs. Mr. Heysham, of Car- 

 lisle, says, that so late as the fourth of June several Sander- 

 lings were killed on the coast in the vicinity of Brow-Houses, 

 in full summer livery. The few that came under his inspec- 

 tion were so extremely fat, that upon some parts of the body 

 it was nearly one quarter of an inch in thickness. The sto- 

 machs of two or three that were examined contained the 

 remains of shrimps, sandhoppers, &c. and had the very strong 

 marine scent peculiar to sea-shore feeders. 



In further reference to its mode of life, Mr. Audubon says, 

 " The Sanderling obtains its food principally by probing the 

 moist sands of the sea-shores with its bill held in an oblique 

 direction. At every step it inserts this instrument with sur- 

 prising quickness, to a greater or less depth, according to the 

 softness of the sand, sometimes introducing it a quarter of an 

 inch, sometimes to the base. The holes thus made may be 

 seen on the borders of beaches, when the tide is fast receding, 

 in rows of twenty, thirty, or more ; in certain spots less nu- 

 merous ; for it appears that when a place is unproductive of 



