BIRDS 



some years since we had what is known as a 

 ' woodcock year.' Woodcocks frequently 

 nest twice in the season, and they are amongst 

 the earliest as well as the latest breeders. I 

 have seen young ones able to fly in April, and 

 once came across a family party of three still 

 in half-down at Marthly in Scotland on 

 August II. Mr. Monk of Lewes, a well 

 known collector of British birds, took the 

 trouble to ascertain how many woodcocks 

 remained to breed in the eastern division of 

 Sussex, and the conclusion he arrived at was 

 that in seven districts of east Sussex, com- 

 prising twenty-two parishes, there were annu- 

 ally on an average from 150 to 200 nests of 

 this bird [Zoologist, 1879, p. 434). 



231. Great Snipe. Gallhiago major (J. F. 



Gmelin). 

 A rare autumn visitor. Markwick was 

 the first to notice the occurrence of this bird 

 in Sussex. The specimen was killed near 

 Horsham on October i, 1793. Since that 

 date there are a good many instances of its 

 capture. 



232. Common Snipe. Gallinago caelatis 



(Frenzel). 

 The common snipe breeds in Sussex in 

 small numbers, and although most of their 

 chief winter resorts are now reclaimed for 

 agriculture fair snipe shooting is still to be 

 had about Pulborough and Amberley. There 

 is one instance of the occurrence of the dark 

 variety known as Sabine's snipe. This bird 

 was shot at Appledram Common, and pur- 

 chased by Mr. Knox from Mr. Smith, a 

 Chichester bird-stuflFer, for ^^5 (Knox). 



233. Jack Snipe. Gallinago galUnula (Linn.) 

 Fairly common in winter but as elsewhere 



not nearly so numerous as the last-named 

 species. 



234. Broad-billed Sandpiper. Limicola platy- 



rhyncha (Temminck). 

 The late Mr. Borrer gives an interesting 

 account in his book of how one day in the 

 latter part of October, 1845, he met a boy 

 near the west end of Brighton carrying a 

 bunch of dunlins and amongst them one of 

 these rare strangers, which his experienced eye 

 had instantly detected. The ornithologist 

 purchased the treasure for sixpence. This is 

 the first Sussex example of this rare visitor 

 and one of the very few that have occurred 

 in our islands. Mr. Butterfield says that two 

 others killed on the Sussex coast are in the 

 possession of Mr. Boyd Alexander of Cran- 

 brook, Kent. 



235. Pectoral Sandpiper. Tringa macuhita, 



Vicillot. 

 The only occurrence of this accidental 

 visitor from North America is recorded by 

 Mr. J. E. Harting in his Handbook of British 

 Birds (p. 141), as having been obtained at 

 Eastbourne in September, 1870. 



236. Baird's Sandpiper. Tringa bairdiiiVkW- 



lot). 

 This sandpiper, which is fairly common in 

 the interior of North America, has only once 

 paid a visit to the British Islands, or in fact to 

 Europe, and on the particular occasion on 

 which it came Rye Harbour in Sussex was 

 the chosen locality. Here the bird, an im- 

 mature female, was shot by Mr. M. J. 

 Nicoll on October 11, 1900. It was for- 

 warded to Mr. Hartert of the Tring Museum, 

 who identified it as Baird's sandpiper and 

 showed it subsequently at one of the evening 

 meetings of the British Ornithologists' Club. 



237. Bonaparte's Sandpiper. Tringa fuscicollis, 



Vieillot. 

 This little sandpiper, which is very common 

 on the east coast of North America, has oc- 

 curred twice in Sussex. The first example 

 was obtained by Mr. Kent near the village of 

 Bexhill in a flooded meadow on October 8, 

 1857 [Zoologist, pp. 673-7). The second 

 specimen was taken at Eastbourne on Novem- 

 ber 12, 1870, and was afterwards purchased 

 by Mr. J. H. Gurney, who recorded its cap- 

 ture in tlie Zoologist (p. 2442). 



238. Dunlin. Tringa alpina, Linn. 



The most abundant of all the waders that 

 visit our coast line. 



239. Little Stint. Tringa minuta, Leisler. 



A regular summer and autumn visitor to 

 the coast, especially about Rye and Pagham. 

 There are fine examples in the full breeding 

 plumage in the collection formed by the late 

 Mr. Booth, and I have a perfect specimen 

 killed in June, i860, near Chichester. I 

 purchased the bird from the late Mr. Sways- 

 land. In the months of August and Septem- 

 ber small parties of young birds remain for a 

 short time on the shores. Associating as it 

 does with flocks of dunlins, and being similar 

 to them in its habits, it is curious that this 

 little wader seems only very rarely to pass the 

 winter with us. 



240. Temminck's Stint. Tringa temmincki, 



Leislcr. 

 This straggler, which does not visit us 

 regularly, as it probably does the county of 



293 



