110. FAMILIAR WILD lilRDS., 



lakes^ and any large inland sheets of water, as with other 

 members of the family. 



In speiildng of the feeding habits of this bird, a_ well- 

 known ornitjiolog-ist obsei-ves, " The Sanderl in g Stains its 

 food pririeri)al]y by probiiig the moist_saiids of the seashore 

 with its bijl held in an obli(£ue direction. At every step it 

 inserts this instrnmentwith snrprising qniekness,to a greater 

 or less depth, aceording to the softness of the sand ; some- 

 times introdncing it a qnarter of an incli, 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 numerous: for it 

 :i)i])ears that when a place is un})roductive of the food for 

 which they are searching, they very soon take to their 

 wings and remove to another, now and then in so hurried a 

 manner that one might suppose they had been suddenly 

 frightened. The contents of the stomach of those jhot 

 while thus occupied were slender sea^vi^orms, minute shell- 

 fish, and gravel. At other times, when they were seen lol- 

 lowijig- the receding waves, and wading up to the belly in 

 the returning waters, the stomachs contained small_shrimps 

 and otjier Crustacea." Other writers have observed it 

 feeding on the buds of the Saxifrage. 



The Sanderling runs very rapidly, and flies with ease 

 and swiftness; when alarmed, the birds, when in flocks, 

 generally proceed to some fresh feeding spot at no very 

 great distance; Imt when disturbed in verv small parties 

 they not nneomnionly take to llight and fly for some con- 

 siderable distance before settling. As already stated, 

 Sanderlings frccpiently associate with small companies of 

 Dunlins, &('. ; but they may be easily distinguished from 

 their c(.mpanions by the prominent lightness of their 



