164 Guide to Belfast. 



every suitable place in summer, and our resident birds are 

 greatly augmented in winter. The Jack Snipe is found every 

 winter in moderate numbers. Thompson records the only 

 Irish occurrence of the Broad-billed Sandpiper; viz., on the 

 mud-banks of Belfast Lough, 4 October, 1844. This bird is 

 still in the Belfast Museum. To the same observer we 

 again owe the record of the only occurrence in Ireland of 

 Bonaparte's Sandpiper; viz., Belfast Lough, April 1836. 

 Large flocks of *Dunlin frequent our loughs in winter (they 

 are locally called "Sandlarks "), and a few are known to 

 breed in County Antrim every year, in the Lough Neagh 

 basin. In autumn the Little Stint visits us in small parties, 

 being considered rare enough to be specially noted by the 

 taxidermists. The Curlew-Sandpiper and the Sanderling 

 both occur in small numbers in autumn, more especially in 

 Strangford Lough and Dundrum Bay, but are usually over- 

 looked owing to their diminutive size. While the Purple 

 Sandpiper occurs in small numbers in winter, the Knot is 

 common, and large flocks are sometimes met with. The 

 Knot is locally known as "Grey Plover." The Ruff is a rare 

 autumn visitor, and is little known. It has occurred more 

 frequently in Down than Antrim, and R. Lloyd Patterson saw 

 a male in breeding plumage near Downpatrick, at the unusual 

 date of May, in 1901. The second Irish-killed Buff-breasted 

 Sandpiper was shot by Mr. Joyce in the " People's Park," 

 Belfast, in October 1864, and is now in the Belfast Museum. 

 It has not occurred in Ireland since. The *Common 

 Sandpiper is very common in suitable localities in summer. 

 It is especially numerous all round Lough Neagh. The 

 Green Sandpiper is a rare visitor. We have only eleven 

 records for the two counties; the last in 1887. The 

 *Common Redshank is abundant in winter, and many pairs 

 breed with us, particularly near Lough Neagh The Spotted 

 Redshank has only been obtained once, at Ilolywood, 

 County Down, in August 1823 (Thompson); but R. Lloyd 

 Patterson believes he saw another at Ballymacormick Point 

 on 4th November, 1876 {Birds, etc., of Belfast Lough, p. 182). 

 The Greenshank is a winter visitor in small numbers, and 

 but little known, Of the Godwits, the Bar-tailed is an 

 autumn visitor in limited numbers, few remaining over the 



