452 



LIMICOLM. 



SCOLOPACIDJ:. 



SCOLOPACJD^E. 



TOTANUS MACULARIUS (Linnaeus*). 



THE SPOTTED SANDPIPER. 



Totanus macularius. 



THE SPOTTED SANDPIPER is an American bird, which was 

 originally included in the British List through an error on 

 the part of Edwards, who described by this name (Gleanings 

 in Nat. Hist. vi. p. 141) a specimen of the Common Sand- 

 piper obtained in Essex, figuring at the same time a genuine 

 example of the Spotted Sandpiper from America. Bewick's 

 bird is certainly our Old World species, and so are a con- 

 siderable proportion of the specimens since recorded from 

 time to time as Spotted Sandpipers, a long list of which is 

 given by Mr. Harting in his valuable ' Handbook of British 

 Birds' (p. 139). Ignorance and self-deception on the part 

 of the owners, are responsible for several of these, but some 

 of the others labour under the imputation of being genuine 

 examples of the American species, sold to their possessors as 



* Tringa macularia, Linnaeus, Syst. Nat. Ed. 12, i. p. 249 (1766). 



