BRITISH BIRDS IN SOUTH AFRICA 



We come now to a well-known and interesting group 

 of British wading birds, strongly represented in South 

 Africa. These are the curlew, whimbrel, redshank, 

 wood sandpiper, common sandpiper, avocet, stilt, ruff 

 and reeve, knot, curlew-sandpiper, little stint, sander- 

 ling, and great or solitary snipe. Of these many are 

 quite abundant and well known in various parts of 

 South Africa. The curlew is fairly common, and in 

 places is to be met with throughout the year. Its nest 

 has, I believe, never been found in South Africa. The 

 whimbrel is rare ; the redshank and green sandpiper 

 are fairly common, found usually about the estuaries 

 of various South African rivers, and at times about 

 vleis and marshes. The greenshank is quite a familiar 

 South African bird, found all over the country. I have 

 myself noticed it from the Cape to Ngamiland. The 

 dusky or spotted redshank {Totanus fiiscus), a rare 

 migrant to Britain, is also extremely scarce in South 

 Africa. The late Mr. E. L. Layard, a first-rate 

 naturalist, himself procured it, however, some thirty 

 years ago, at the Knysna, in Cape Colony, and it is 

 probable that others of these birds have visited South 

 Africa without being identified. The wood sandpiper 

 {Totanus glareola), occasionally noted in Britain, and 

 known once at least to have bred here, is only fairly 

 abundant in South Africa. C. J. Andersson was of 

 opinion that it bred occasionally in Damaraland. This 

 point, however, has never been set at rest. This bird 

 has a very wide range, migrating south, after its spring 

 and summer stay in North Europe and Asia, not only 

 as far as South Africa, but to India and even Australia. 

 The common sandpiper is not very abundant in South 

 Africa, but it is to be met with sparingly in various 

 parts of the country. The elegant avocet and the long- 

 legged stilt plover, which are but rare British birds, 

 M i6i 



