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THE SANDERLING. 



Tringa arenaria, Bonap. 



PLATE CCXXX. Male and Female. 



Although the Sanderling extends its rambles along our Atlantic 

 shores, from the eastern extremities of Maine to the southernmost Keys of 

 the Floridas, it is only an autumnal and winter visitor. It arrives in the 

 more Eastern Districts about the 1st of August, on the sea-shores of New 

 York and New Jersey rarely before the 10th of August, and seldom'reaches 

 the extensive sand-banks of East Florida previous to the month of Novem- 

 ber. Along the whole of this extended coast, it is more or less abundant, 

 sometimes appearing in bands composed of a few individuals, and at times 

 in large flocks, but generally mingling with other species of small shore- 

 birds. Thus I have seen Turnstones and Knots mixed with the Sander- 

 lings, but in such cases they are perhaps wanderers, which have not suc- 

 ceeded in meeting with companions of their own species, that associate 

 with the birds of which I here speak. 



The Sanderling obtains its food principally by' probing the moist 

 sands of the sea-shores with its bill held in an oblique position. At every 

 step it inserts this instrument with surprising quickness, to a greater or 

 less depth, according to the softness of the sand, sometimes introducing 

 it a quarter of an inch, sometimes to the base. The holes thus made 

 may be seen on the borders of beaches, when the tide is fast receding, in 

 rows of twenty, thirty, or more ; in certain spots less numerous ; for it 

 appears that when a place proves unproductive of the food for which they 

 are searching, they very soon take to their wings and remove to another, 

 now and then in so hurried a manner that one might suppose they had 

 been suddenly frightened. The contents of the stomach of those which 

 I shot while thus occupied, were slender sea- worms, about an inch in 

 length, together with minute shell-fish and gravel. At other times, when 

 they were seen following the receding waves, and wading up to the belly 

 in the returning waters, I found in them small shrimps and other Crus- 

 tacea. 



In their flight the Sanderlings do not perform so many evolutions as 

 Sandpipers usually display. They generally alight about a hundred 



