318 CHARADKim/E 



An adult Sander! ing which I presented to the Dublin 

 Zoological Gardens soon became very tame and grew fat 

 on softened bread, minute seeds, and chopped meat. It 

 enjoyed the society of a Knot and a couple of Turnstones, 

 which occupied the same aviary. After feeding it would 

 stand with one leg gathered up among the breast-feathers. 

 It often remained an hour in this attitude, and when dis- 

 turbed would at first lazily hop about on one leg as, if lame, 

 a common habit of many wading-birds. 



It did not assume its full winter-plumage until early 

 in February, and retained it until the middle of May. It 

 was deposited in the aviary on August 7th, 1900, its 

 plumage then being in a transition stage from nuptial to 

 winter ; it was accidentally killed on July 2nd, 1901, having 

 half moulted into nuptial dress. 



Nest. The nest is a depression, usually scraped in the 

 barren soil of the high Arctic regions. The eggs, four in 

 number, are olivaceous in ground-colour, blotched and 

 spotted with various shades of brown. 



Dr. Walter observed that the Sanderlmg appeared on the 



Taimyr Peninsula " about the ^j^~ and in the middle 



of June one could observe its breeding-evolutions. The 

 male rises with quivering wings about ten feet above the 

 ground, at the same time uttering a harsh note, trrr- 

 trrr-trrr, and then descends. The nests, found late in 

 June and early July, contained four eggs each in three 

 cases, and three eggs in one case. The nest was placed, 

 unlike that of the other waders, which affected the grass- 

 covered portions of the Tundra, between bare clay lumps 

 on moss, and consisted of a shallow depression lined with 

 a few dry straws and a white tangle. In two cases the 

 male, and in two the female, was incubating. On the 

 16/29 July, when the young in down were taken, the male 

 showed anxiety, but the female was not seen. During the 

 breeding-season some of these birds wandered about in 

 small flocks. This species remained until the end of 

 August." 



The eggs were "Blunt pyriform, fine-grained, with a 

 faint gloss. Ground-colour, pale yellowish-white, with a 

 very pale greenish tinge, and somewhat marked with small 

 yellowish-brown and dark brown spots ; a few indistinct 

 light violet-grey markings ; at the larger end a few blackish 

 dots and streaks." Average measurement ranged from 33'1 

 by 24'4 mm. to 3S'2 by 24'7 mm. 



