H2 BRITISH SEA BIRDS. 



Absolutely nothing is known of the nidification 

 of the Curlew Sandpiper, and its egg has never yet 

 been described. It is, to say the least, remarkable 

 that some of the great breeding-places of these 

 Arctic birds have not yet been discovered a fact 

 that seems to suggest a vast area of land some- 

 where in the vicinity of the Pole. 



DUNLIN. 



Owing to the great seasonal changes of plumage 

 which this Sandpiper the Tringa alpina of most 

 naturalists undergoes, considerable confusion has 

 prevailed concerning it. Linnaeus described birds 

 of this species in summer plumage as distinct 

 from individuals in winter plumage, naming them 

 alpina and cinclus ; but Temminck (and before him 

 B. Meyer) with greater discernment united both 

 under the name of T. variabilis. Birds in the two 

 plumages have also received distinctive colloquial 

 names ; in summer dress, the bird is known as 

 "Dunlin," in winter dress as the "Purre." Other 

 local names of wide application to this species are 

 " Ox-bird," " Stint," and " Plover's Page," the latter 

 being derived from the habit of the Dunlin to 

 accompany a Golden Plover, flying to and fro 

 over the moors, where the two species chance to 

 be nesting. Perhaps the Wryneck has in like 

 manner, gained the name of "Cuckoo's Mate" 

 from its habit of flying in attendance with that 

 bird ; although some writers attribute the term 



