13 6 AATUSAL HISTORY. 



breast. This is lost in winter, when the plumage is ashy above and white below. At the time 

 of the migration of the other Waders the Dunlins are genei'ally putting on their winter plumage, 

 and are met with in all stages of transition. 



The Dunlins ai'e not the only visitors to the sandy island where our two sportsmen are waiting for 

 the fall of the tide. A single bird settles and is secured, and proves to be a Curlew Sandpiper (Tringa 

 subarquata), a species not unlike a Dunlin in winter dress, but always to be distinguished by its longer 

 and more curved bill, which, from its supposed resemblance to that of the Curlew, has gained for the 

 bird its trivial name. In summer, however, it is very easily told by its deep red breast, for, like the 

 Knot or the Godwits, the whole under surface becomes deep chestnut during the breeding season. 

 Conjectures as to the breeding-home of this species, so widely spread and not uncommon during its t\vo 

 migrations, cross the mind of the shooter who has procured a specimen, for as yet we are ignorant of 

 the place where the Curlew Sandpiper breeds. No longer can this be said of the Knot (Trinya 

 canutus}, whose nesting-place was unearthed by the last English expedition to the North Pole ; and in 

 the British Museum may be seen a pair with their nestlings, procured by Captain Feilden, of the Alert; 

 no authentic eggs, however, as yet exist in any collection. The Knot visits England in large numbers 

 in autumn, and wanders on its winter migration as far as the Cape, and even to Australia, returning to 

 breed far within the Arctic Circle. In summer the plumage is very rich, the breast being deep chest- 

 nut ; whereas in winter, like so many other Waders, the back becomes ashy-grey, and the breast white. 



One of the most remarkable of all the Sandpipers is the Ruff (Machetes pugnax). The 

 males, in the breeding-season, have a conspicuous tuft of feathers on each side of the head, and a large 

 breast-shield of plumes ; and the curious part of the bird's economy is that in no two specimens 

 are these absolutely alike. Sometimes the frill and breast-plumes are black, sometimes pure white ; 

 occasionally they are rufous barred with black, or grey with white bands ; in fact, the combina- 

 tions of colours are too numerous to be detailed. In winter the Ruff loses this frill and becomes 

 much plainer in colour, resembling the female in plumage, but always maintaining a larger size, 

 so that even in winter dress the sexes can be distinguished. The specific name of pugnax is 

 bestowed upon this bird on account of its fighting propensities, the most furious battles taking 

 place between the males for the possession of the females, and in these combats the feathered frills 

 act as a shield for the protection of the combatants. Large numbers of Ruffs are sent annually 

 to the markets of England, principally from Holland, where the species still breeds, as it does also 

 over the greater part of Northern Europe. The drainage of the fens, however, has driven it from 

 England, where it now only occurs in migration. Its winter home is Africa. The habits of a 

 few of the commoner English Wading-bircls which have been treated of above may be taken as 

 ^examples of the group at the season of the year when they are most generally observed. 



THE THIRD SUB-FAMILY OF THE SNIPES. THE PHALAROPES (Phalaropina) . 



The Phalaropes are distinguished by their lobed toes, which look like those of a miniature Coot. 

 'They combine the characters of several of the Wading-birds, as they swim well by means of their lobes 

 on the toes, which are also united by a web at the base, while they can run on the shores like a Sand- 

 piper. The species are only three in number, and all are inhabitants of northern climates. Two are 

 found in Great Britain, and extend throughout Northern Europe and Northern Asia, while one species, 

 Wilson's Phalarope, inhabits North America. 



The Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus hyperboreus) is a handsome little bird, having the upper 

 parts blackish-grey, varied with reddish edgings to the feathers, the sides of the neck and fore-neck 

 lieing chestnut, the throat, breast, and abdomen white. Like the Sandpipers, which it much resembles 

 in its appearance, it has a winter plumage, which may be described as blackish-grey, with the forehead, 

 cheeks, and under parts white. The wings have a white band. The Red-necked Phalarope breeds in the 

 Orkney and Shetland Isles, where it constructs its nest in the grass near the edges of lakes, and lays 

 four eggs. Its food consists of insects, worms, and mollusca. It swims with ease, and is often seen 

 far out at sea, migrating southward in winter, when both it and the Grey Phalarope (Phalaropus 

 fulicarius), which is the other English species, wander as far as the Indian Ocean, and even to the 

 Moluccas. Dr. Jerdon calls these birds "Coot-footed Stints," which gives a very good idea of the 

 nature of a Phalarope, 



