516 The Zoologist — December, 1866. 



coast birds. Sanderlings also observed to have returned at the same 

 time: the gizzard of one dissected contained nothing but a few sand- 

 hoppers. The sanderling seems to prefer sandy shore to those parts 

 in which either shingle or mud predominate. Whirabrel are seen in 

 small parties, and an occasional gray plover. Common sandpiper 

 numerous, and frequently seen flitting up and down the harbour at low 

 tide, generally keeping in a line with the water's edge, unless when 

 crossing from one side to the other, and often sending forth their 

 pleasing little "teet-teet-teet." Green sandpiper first seen on the 9th 

 of August. At the end of August the following birds were observed 

 on the coast : — curlew, whimbrel, redshank, green and common sand- 

 pipers, greenshank, curlew sandpiper, knot and dunlin. An occa- 

 sional curlew sandpiper has still some of the red feathers of the 

 summer plumage remaining on the breast. Ringed plovers are here all 

 the year: I found a young bird of this species, still in its plumage of 

 down, on the 13th of August, no feathers a])pearing, and saw others 

 which had not long flown. Do these birds ever rear two broods in the 

 year ? or are we to suppose, in these late cases, the first eggs or young 

 have been destroyed ? On the 9th of May, 1864, I found a nest of 

 ringed plover's eggs, in this county, that would have been hatched in 

 about a week : this shows a wide difference. I had a female ruff sent 

 me from Sidlesham on the 8th, and a spotted redshank on the 26th of 

 September. The last named had darker legs than I have before 

 noticed in this species, from which I should take it be an older bird 

 than those obtained before. Still the plumage was peculiar for an old 

 bird, the upper parts being dark, but not so dark as in the full summer 

 plumage, with an occasional light feather showing; yet these feathers 

 are not so light as the winter plumage. 



Moorhen. — The pair of moorhens alluded to (S. S. 226, 237) hatched 

 a third brood of young on the 15lh of July ; thus, in a period of about 

 eleven weeks, hatching three broods of young. This number I 

 believe to be general when the eggs are not taken or destroyed. The 

 third brood is frequently hatched later than the middle of July. 



Gray Phalarope. — This district, as well as many other parts of the 

 south coast, has been visited by unusual numbers of this handsome 

 little bird : they first appeared about the 20th of September, and were 

 observed both on the coast and about fresh-water ponds inland : a few 

 have lingered till the end of the month, and those last killed have, in 

 most cases, been very much emaciated. Nearly all that I examined 

 were birds of the year, with the reddish tinge on the neck, in which 



