BY SANDY SHORES. 247 



bordered on either side by a white eyestripe. It 

 is another bird of regular spring and autumn 

 passage, a few even remaining behind to breed in 

 the Orkneys and the Shetlands, and a few remain- 

 ing to winter on our southern coasts. The nest- 

 ing economy of the Whimbrel is very similar to 

 that of the Curlew, only the eggs are much 

 smaller, but the same in general colouration. 

 Vast numbers of GRAY PLOVERS (Charadrius 

 helveticus) also pass along here, coming from the 

 tundras of northern Europe, and a few remain to 

 winter. They are very similar to the Golden 

 Plover, only want the yellow spots on the upper 

 parts which so characterise that species. 



We can only give a passing glance at the 

 great flights of northern Ducks and Geese and 

 Swans that find winter haunts on and off these 

 sandy coasts and mud-flats ; of the flocks of 

 SCAUPS (Fuligula marila) and TUFTED DUCKS 

 (F. cristata) ; the packs of BRENT GEESE (Anser 

 brenta) and BERNACLE GEESE (A. leucopsis) ; of 

 GRAY LAGS (A. cinereus) ; PINK-FOOTED GEESE 

 (A. brachyrhynchus) and BEAN GEESE (A. segetmn)\ 

 truly interesting company for him who wanders 

 along the shore, or punts across the shallow seas 

 and estuaries during the autumn and winter 

 months. We must not forget to allude to the 

 HOOPER SWAN (Cygnus musicus), or its smaller 

 ally, BEWICK'S SWAN (C. bewicki), or to the three 

 species of British Diver which may also be met 

 with in the seas off these coasts during winter ; 

 but these birds are rarely, if ever, seen upon the 

 shore. We might also dwell more fully on the 

 grand exodus back again to the great lone northern 

 lands of all these species, most of them in 



