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THE MARSH-SANDPIPER (Totanus stagnatiUs, Bechst.) 

 AS A BRITISH BIRD. 



BY 

 M. J. NICOLL, m.b.o.tt. 



In his " Manual of British Birds " (2nd Edition, p. 620) 

 the late Howard Saunders calls attention to the fact that 

 the reputed Marsh-Sandpiper which was shot at Tring 

 Reservoir in October, 1887, "was not submitted to 

 competent authorities at the time, and has since been 

 burned."* This being the only record of this species in 

 Great Britain up to the present time, its claims for 

 inclusion in the British list have been slender. In June, 

 1909, however, a pair of undoubted Totanus stagnatiUs 

 was obtained in Sussex. 



The female of the pair — an adult in summer-plumage — 

 was shot on June 16th, at a pool of water in the beach 

 on the west side of Rye Harbour. Two days later an 

 adult male was shot at the same place. Both of these 

 were examined by the writer, the first in the flesh and the 

 second when partly skinned. 



These interesting birds are now in the collection of 

 Mr. J. B. Nichols, who has kindly lent them for the purpose 

 of reproducing the accompanying figure. 



It is satisfactory, though not surprising, that the 

 Marsh-Sandpiper has at last been added to the British 

 list. It has occurred on Heligoland and in Northern 

 France, therefore it was only to be expected that sooner 

 or later it would put in an appearance on our coasts. 

 The occurrence of a rare straggler in England at a time 



* The Hon. Walter Rothschild informs us that this specimen was 

 undoubtedly correctly identified at the time by himself and verified 

 by reference to Dresser's " Birds of Europe " and other means. 

 Unfortunately, through a bad accident, some hundreds of Mr. 

 Rothschild's- birds were burnt, and among them this specimen of the 

 Marsh-Sandpiper. Howard Saunders' statement in the " Manual " 

 is explained by the fact that he did not know Mr. Rothschild at all 

 at the time, and was unaware of his capability to identify the bird 

 correctly. — Eds. 



