BIRDS 



202. Oyster-catcher. Hamatopm ostralegus, 



Linn. 

 Locally, Olive. 

 The sandy portions of the Rye coast, 

 Whitstable and Sandwich attract now and 

 again small parties of oyster-catchers. They 

 are more numerous on the autumn than on 

 the spring migration. This bird has bred on 

 the beach not far from Dungeness. I had 

 this information from Mr. Southerden of 

 Jury's Gap, Lydd, who is a reliable authority. 



203. Avocet. Recurvirostra avocetta, Linn. 

 Locally, Cobbler's Awl. 



This bird used to nest on the flat shore line 

 near Lydd, but now it is only a rare visitor in 

 spring and autumn. Marwick, writing in 

 1795, says : 'I found in the marshes near 

 Rye a young one of this species, which ap- 

 peared to have been just hatched, and I took 

 it up in my hand, whilst the old birds kept 

 flying round me.' The record for Kent of 

 this rare visitor is as follows : one, Romney 

 Marsh, April 1849 {'Z'Ool. 1849, p. 2455) ; 

 one, Sandwich, 22 April 1849 '■> ^^o, marshes 

 between Ramsgate and Sandwich, March 

 1849 (Z«»/. 1^49) P- 2455) ;one. River Med- 

 way, Rainham, 23 September 1887 (Prentis) ; 

 one, Lydd, 28 April 1889, in Mr. Souther- 

 den's house. Jury's Gap, Lydd ; one, near 

 North Foreland, August 1895. (The last was 

 brought to Mr. Oxenden Hammond, and at 

 time of being shot was in company with three 

 others {Zool. 1895, p. 349). In my own 

 collection I have an adult female from the 

 Lydd beach, 23 May 1898, and another 

 female from the same locality, 17 May 1897. 



204. Black-winged Stilt. Himantopus cand'i- 



dus, Bonnaterre. 

 Very rare. Some few years ago a specimen 

 was obtained at Faversham and is now in the 

 Canterbury Museum. 



205. Grey Phalarope. Phalaropm fuUcarius 



(Linn.) 

 An annual visitor in autumn, the visitations 

 some years being considerable. In the great 

 immigration from August to October in 1866 

 numbers occurred on the south coast between 

 Rye and Dungeness. These birds generally 

 come to our brackish pools after bad weather 

 in September. In September 1896, after 

 stormy weather with south-westerly winds, I 

 obtained several about the pools on the Lydd 

 beach. 



206. Red-necked Phalarope. Phalaropus 



hyperboreus (Linn.) 

 A rare visitor in autumn, generally after 



rough weather. It has occurred at Dover 

 (i86i, Dover Museum) ; at Rainham, 28 

 September 1871 [Zool. 1871, p. 2847), and 

 near Lydd, where I obtained an adult female 

 in a small reed-girt pond near the shore on 

 20 September 1899, after rough weather 

 with south-westerly winds. 



207. Woodcock. Scolopax rusticula, Linn. 

 Breeds sparingly in the county, and more 



frequently of late years owing to the increase 

 of plantations. In the Cranbrook district it 

 nests in the Bedgebury woods, about Sissing- 

 hurst and near Frittenden. Its breeding area 

 in Kent is restricted to the Weald. 



208. Great Snipe. Galltnago major (J. F. 



Gmelin) 

 A rare migrant in autumn. In the col- 

 lection of Mr. Oxenden Hammond there is 

 a specimen shot near Deal, i October 1894. 



209. Common Snipe. GaUinago ceeksth (Fren- 



zel) 

 Locally, Full Snipe. 



Best known as a winter visitor. At the 

 end of July a few birds appear, but these are 

 only stragglers, the species not becoming 

 common till the beginning of October. On 

 24 April 1897 Mr. N. F. Ticehurst of St. 

 Leonards found it breeding in Romney Marsh 

 {Zool. 1897, p. 271) This is the first re- 

 corded instance of this species nesting in the 

 county. 



The so-called Sabine's snipe, a dark variety 

 of the present species, has occurred in the 

 county (Dowker). 



210. Jack Snipe. GaUinago gall'inula (Linn.) 

 A winter visitor, but much less common 



than the preceding species, and of local dis- 

 tribution, preferring sheltered brooks rather 

 than open marsh land. It is often to be found 

 in company with the common snipe. 



211. Broad-billed Sandpiper. Limicola platy- 



rhyncha (Temminck) 

 A very rare autumn migrant. Two in- 

 stances have occurred in Kent. On 6 Sep- 

 tember 1896 an immature female was killed 

 out of a flock of dunlin at Littlestone. It is 

 now in my collection. The second specimen, 

 also an immature female, was obtained at the 

 same place on 31 August 1901 (Curtis Ed- 

 wards, Zool. 1901, p. 390). 



212. Pectoral Sandpiper. Tr'mga macutata, 



Vieillot. 

 This species has only lately been added to 

 the Kentish list. An adult male was shot 



295 



