THE PUBPLE SANDPIPER. 305 



his having seen one here in winter, and that at the end of May 

 he saw a flock of about six, on the rocks at Lambay Island, 

 from which he killed three, all in adult plumage."* A purple 

 sandpiper was observed in October 1846, at a part of this bay, 

 near Raheny.t 



Mr. Poole states, with respect to the county of Wexford : — 

 " I shot one specimen of this bird on the 29th of January, 1845, 

 at Ballyteigue Lough : there seemed to be plenty of them on 

 the beach. May 15, 1845. — At the Saltees I observed about 

 a dozen, which frequented the rocks near high- water mark, and 

 allowed a sufficiently near approach for three specimens to be 

 procured. They were excessively fat, and the ovaries of the 

 hens filled with backward eggs. Their food was univalve shell- 

 fish." This bird has once been obtained at Youghal.J Ac- 

 cording to Mr. R. Chute : — " a purple sandpiper was shot by 

 the Hon. Mr. Mullins in the last week of November 1846, on 

 some rocks at the entrance of Dingle Harbour, where there was a 

 small flock. The people there stated that some are to be seen on 

 the same rocks every winter. In the following year, two more of 

 them were shot there by that gentleman." A few of what he 

 has now no doubt were these birds, had been seen by my cor- 

 respondent in the middle of May 1844, on the Magharee islands, 

 Tralee Bay. 



This sandpiper, little known in Scotland and England, ex- 

 cept as an autumnal and winter visitant to the shores, appears, 

 judging from the descriptions of Sir Wm. Jardine|| and Mr. 

 Selby, to be more frequent in both those countries than in Ireland. 

 The latter author gives us the following interesting account of the 

 species : — " On the Northumbrian coast it is a common bird, and 

 is met with in numerous flocks wherever the beach is bold and 

 rocky. The Fern Islands, which are composed of trap (or 

 basaltic) rocks, are a favourite resort, and. it sometimes happens 

 that a few stragglers are left at the period of the vernal migration, 

 remaining through the summer, and breeding on the smaller 



* Rev. G. Robinson. t Mr. R. J. Montgomery. 



% Mr. R. Ball. [| ' Brit. Birds,' vol. iii. p. 237. 



VOL. II. X 



