SANDERLING. 507 



THE SANDERLING, represented by the figure in front in 

 its summer dress, and by that 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 water, 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, running or flying with equal ease 

 and rapidity. It is occasionally killed in the vicinity of 

 large pieces of fresh water. 



I have obtained specimens on our southern and eastern 

 coasts, 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 

 Carlisle, says, that so late as the 4th of June several 

 Sanderlings were killed on the coast in the vicinity of 

 Brow-Houses, in full summer livery. The few that came 

 under his inspection were so extremely fat, that upon some 

 parts of the body it was nearly one-quarter of an inch 

 in thickness. The stomachs 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. 



The Sanderling obtains its food principally by probing 

 the moist sands of the sea-shores, and the contents of the 

 stomach of those shot while thus occupied, were slender 

 sea-worms, minute shell-fish, gravel, and Crustacea. 



The Sanderling has been observed early in June on the 

 west coast of Scotland by Mr. Symmonds, and by Mr. 

 Bullock at the northern extremity of Scotland, as late as 

 the end of June, but was believed to go still farther north 



