A HISTORY OF SUSSEX 



Norfolk, comes occasionally in small parties 

 to the mud-flats and estuaries of our tidal 

 rivers. Usually it arrives in August, but one 

 was shot by the late Mr. Booth on July 25, 

 1878, at Shoreham. 



241. Curlew-Sandpiper. Tr'inga subarquata 



(Guldenstadt). 

 This sandpiper often arrives as early as 

 May and is then in full breeding plumage, 

 but it is not in any sense numerous till 

 August and September, when young birds 

 with a few old ones arrive from the arctic 

 circle and stay till the beginning of October. 



242. Purple Sandpiper. Tringa striata, hinn. 

 An autumn and winter visitor in small 



numbers, preferring the rocky parts of the 

 coast. Like the phalaropes it is always re- 

 markably tame. I have seen oyster-catchers, 

 redshanks and purple sandpipers swim without 

 fear from an isolated rock to the shore. 



243. Knot. Tringa canutus, Linn. 



A common autumn and winter visitor. 

 Many knots arrive in May, and after spending 

 a month or so on the coast they move north- 

 ward to the breeding grounds, only a few 

 staying throughout the year. 



244. Sanderling. Calidns arenaria (Linn.) 

 The appearance of the sanderling on the 



coast is more or less coincidental with the last 

 named species. Parties of sanderlings are very 

 tame on their first arrival in autumn. 



245. RufF. Machetes pugnax (Linn.) 

 Formerly the ruff used to breed in small 



numbers on Pevensey levels, but it has long 

 ceased to visit us except as a rare visitor in 

 autumn. 



246. Buff-breasted Sandpiper. Tringites ruf- 



escens (Vieillot). 

 In the Zoologist for 1843 the late Mr. 

 Bond, in a note dated March 28, stated that 

 a specimen of the buff-breasted sandpiper, 

 obtained on the Sussex coast, had lately come 

 into his possession (Borrer). This seems to 

 be a most unusual date for this American 

 sandpiper to have visited our shores, and I 

 cannot help thinking that there was some 

 mistake as to the identification of the bird. 



247. Bartram's Sandpiper. Bartramia longi- 



cauda (Bechstein). 

 In the Zoologist,^. 9118, is recorded by 

 Mr. Dalton of Eastbourne that he purchased 

 at the sale of birds belonging to the late Mr. 

 Wille of Lewes a specimen of Bartram's 

 sandpiper shot at Newhaven some time be- 

 tween 1836 and 1840. 



248. Common Sandpiper. Totanus hypo- 



leucus (Linn.) 

 A regular spring and autumn visitor. 

 Though often remaining throughout the 

 summer, it has not been known to breed 

 within the limits of the county. 



249. Spotted Sandpiper. Totanus macularius 



(Linn.) 

 Two specimens of the American sand- 

 piper were shot at the Crumbles Pond near 

 Eastbourne in October, 1866 (Borrer). 



250. Green Sandpiper. Totanus ochropus 



(Linn.) 

 A regular migrant in spring and autumn, 

 but so erratic are the visits of this sandpiper 

 that in suitable places it may be seen in any 

 month of the year. 



251. Wood-Sandpiper. Totanus glareola (J. 



F. Gmelin). 

 A rare autumn migrant. 



252. Redshank. Totanus calidris (Linn.) 



A resident which still breeds sparingly in 

 Sussex. It is common on migration. 



253. Spotted Redshank. Totanus fuscus 



(Linn.) 

 A scarce autumn migrant. 



254. Greenshank. Totanus cancscens (J. F. 



Gmelin). 

 The greenshank arrives in May on the 

 coast but soon passes on to the northern 

 breeding grounds. In August a few, mostly 

 young birds, appear, and these are reinforced 

 by others throughout September. A green- 

 shank is seldom seen after October 18. I 

 observed two greenshanks on Warnham 

 Pond on July 25, 1 90 1. 



255. Bar-tailed God wit. Limosa lapponica 



(Linn.) 

 So well is the summer arrival of this 

 species known to the coast men that May 

 1 2 is known as ' Godwit day.' Like most 

 of the summer arrivals amongst the waders 

 it goes elsewhere to nest, but returns to us in 

 considerable numbers in August. 



256. Black-tailed Godwit. Limosa helgica 



(J. F. Gmelin). 

 A rare visitor on migration. 



257. Curlew. Numenius arquata (Linn.) 



A very common species in spring and 

 autumn. It is no longer known to nest 

 with us. 



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