284 CHAKADKIID.E 



AMERICAN PECTORAL SANDPIPER. Tringa maculata 



(Vieillot). 



Coloured Figures. Gould, ' Birds of Great Britain,' vol. iv, pi. 

 67; Dresser, 'Birds of Europe,' vol. viii, pi. 546; Lilford, 

 ' Coloured Figures,' vol. v, pis. 31, 32. 



This New World species, of rare occurrence along our 

 shores, has been recorded from the eastern and southern 

 sea-board of England more often than elsewhere in the 

 British Isles. The first authenticated British-taken speci- 

 men, a female, was obtained at Breydon, Norfolk, on 

 October 17th, 1830 ; from the same county several others 

 have since been procured (Macgillivray, ' British Birds,' 

 p. 69). 



Examples have also been obtained in Suffolk, Yorkshire, 

 Durham, Northumberland, Sussex, Kent, Devon, Cornwall, 

 and the Scilly Isles. Among recent captures may, be men- 

 tioned a specimen obtained in Suffolk on September 13th, 

 1900 (E. C. Arnold, 'Zoologist,' 1900, p. 521), and another 

 obtained in Norfolk on September 2nd, 1904 (J. H. Gurney, 

 ' Zoologist,' 1905, p. 96). 



Three examples have been obtained in Scotland, the 

 data being as follows : One from Aberdeenshire, October 

 2nd, 1867 (Gray, ' Birds of the West of Scotland ') ; another 

 from Dumbartonshire, November 24th, 1882 (Harting, ' Zoo- 

 logist,' 1883) ; the third from Westray, Orkney, August 

 26th, 1889 (Ogilvie, ' Zoologist,' 1889). 



From the Atlantic-facing shores of Ireland a few birds 

 have been procured ; one was picked up by the late Mr. 

 E. Williams in the Dublin game-markets from among a 

 number of Snipe. The specimen, which was very fat, was 

 taken at Portumna, Galway, in October, 1888 (E. Williams, 

 ' Zoologist,' 1889) ; two specimens were obtained in Bel- 

 mullet, co. Mayo ; one an immature female, in October, 

 1900 ; now in the Dublin Museum, having been lent by 

 Mr. T. H. Hugo ; the other in September, 1902, now in 

 the possession of Mr. E. R. Leeper, of Dublin, who shot it. 



It will be seen from the above data that the counties 

 touched upon by this American bird are maritime, and that 

 the visits took place generally in autumn and winter. 



Flight. The flight is strong and very swift, and during 

 the breeding-season ''the male may be seen taking short, 

 low flights, with the wings held high and beaten stiffly " 

 (Saunders). 



