LITTLE STINT 295 



LITTLE STINT. Tringa minuta (Leisler). 



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

 pi. 72 ; Dresser, ' Birds of Europe,' vol. viii, pis. 549, 

 550, fig. 1, 552, fig. 1 ; Lilford, Coloured Figures,' vol. v, 

 pi. 35. 



The Little Stint, one of the smallest and most attractive 

 of shore-birds, visits the eastern coasts of England on its 

 spring and autumn migrations. Though nowhere plentiful, 

 it is not uncommon about the mud-flats of Norfolk. The 

 great majority of the birds, however, pass east of our shores, 

 thus only the westerly edge of the line of migrants reaches 

 us. The Little Stint visits the east side of Scotland 

 regularly in the autumn, and has been frequently observed 

 in the Orkneys and Shetlands (Saxby) ; on the southern 

 and western sides of Great Britain it is rarer and more 

 irregular in its visits. It probably occurs every autumn 

 along the northern and eastern sides of Ireland, but in 

 varying and limited numbers. Along the rest of the Irish 

 coast it is rare, and has been recorded only once as a spring 

 migrant (Thompson). The visits of the Little Stint to our 

 shores are of brief duration ; there seem to be no records 

 of it remaining throughout the winter or summer months. 

 Immature birds generally appear between the end of August 

 and October, 1 and I have seen more birds early in September 

 than in any other month of the year. On September 7th, 

 1892, numbers appeared on the slob-lands of Dublin Bay ; 

 I saw quite sixty birds, 2 an unusual sight on the Irish 

 coast. They consorted for the most part with small flocks 

 of Dunlins on the ooze, but some kept company with 

 Sanderlings and Turnstones on the hard, ribbed sand by the 

 edge of the tide. Their activity was really amazing. They 

 ran to and fro, flitting about like sprites, several times out- 

 stripping their larger companions in the race along the 

 beach. It was amusing to see half-a-dozen of these tiny 

 shore-birds scampering after a Turnstone which was assidu- 

 ously foraging on the broken line of dead sea- wrack ; so 



1 The latest date at which I have observed this species was October 

 7th (' Irish Naturalist,' 1899, p. 254). 



2 Two to four are the usual numbers that I have seen together ; 

 Thompson met with nine together, the largest group he had ever seen 

 (Nat. Hist. Irel.). 



