SPOTTED SANDPIPEB. 233 



referred to by Messrs. Sheppard and Whitear "Some 

 years since we saw a sandpiper flying across a river 

 attacked by a hawk, when it instantly dived and re- 

 mained under water until its enemy disappeared. It 

 then emerged and joined its companions." It is also 

 said by the same authors to occasionally utter a note 

 very nearly resembling that of the kingfisher. 



I had always supposed that the following description 

 of the " Maychit," in Sir Thomas Browne's " Account of 

 Birds found in Norfolk," referred to this species "a 

 small dark grey bird, little bigger than a stint, of fatness 

 beyond any. It comes in May into marshland and other 

 parts and abides not above a month or six weeks," 

 until, in a letter from Sir Thomas to Dr. Merrett* 

 (September 13th, 1688) I found the "Avicula maiaHs, or 

 Maychit,"f further described as " a marsh-bird, the legs 

 and feet black, without heel; the bill black, and about 

 three-quarters of an inch long," which leaves no doubt 

 that this bird (from its fatness "accounted a dainty 

 dish)" was no other than the sanderling. 



I haVe omitted the SPOTTED SANDPIPER (Totanus 

 macularius, Temm.) from the present List as I have 

 reason to doubt altogether the authority upon which a 

 single example was recorded by Messrs. Gurney and 

 Fisher as killed at Eunton, near Cromer, on the 26th of 

 September, 1839. I am the more desirous also of giving 

 publicity to this fact, since the claim of the Spotted 

 Sandpiper to be included even in the list of British 

 birds, rested solely, for some years^ upon the authen- 

 ticity of this particular bird;! and though recorded 



* Wilkin's edition of Sir Thomas Browne's works, vol. i., p. 399. 



f No mention is made of this species in the original edition of 

 Merrett's " Pinax," published in 1667. Whether any notice of it 

 is given in that published in 1704 I am unable to say. 



J Mr. Yarrell, it seems, heard of this bird from the late Mr. 

 Heysham, of Carlisle, who had seen it in Mr. Gurney's collection, 

 2 H 



