864 Scraps relating to Natural History, by C. M. Adamson. 



seem quite fresh and not worn as they -would have been if an old 

 bird at this season,but it shows no distinguishing marks as to be 

 certain of its age. I am not aware of any other instance of this 

 arctic bird having been anywhere met with in such a singular 

 state of plumage. Though occasionally Sanderlings may be 

 found on the Northumberland coast during winter, there can be 

 no doubt but that the great body of them spend the winter 

 much further southward. I have seen a chance mature bird 

 on this coast killed in the end of September with nearly all the 

 feathers on the back and the tertials changed to those of winter, 

 that is grey. The young birds which either remain on our coasts, 

 or those that perhaps arrive later, gradually begin to acquire the 

 winter feathers on their backs in September, and as in the other 

 allied kinds, acquire the grey backs by the end of the year, but 

 then generally retain most of the tertials of the young bird. 

 Should there be a patch of small stones or gravel or any great 

 extent of sands, you will often find birds like the present kind 

 upon it ; whether they get food there or they are there to escape 

 detection I do not know, but I rather suspect for the latter reason, 

 as when on such places they are often motionless, and perhaps you 

 do not observe them until they rise. Their food consists of Sand- 

 hoppers and I have also found very small mussels and other 

 shells in their gizzards ; these they get from the wet sand parti- 

 cularly when moved by the wind and tide. When flying in flocks 

 they are constantly uttering their peculiar note resembling the 

 word " chip", and as they fly in very compact flocks sometimes 

 several may be kiUed should they wheel when near you. I think 

 the time has come for naturalists and those who will take the 

 trouble to think, to be able to see matters in their true light, and 

 to give up the stupid idea so many persons will adhere to, which 

 is because a bird like the present which is on our shore till June 

 on its way to breed in the arctic regions, and is occasionally back 

 again by the end of July — that it must in consequence breed on 

 our shores. So long ago as August, 1862, 1 wrote in the "Field" 

 of having met with a young bird in August with some of its nest 

 down not being worn off the tips of its back feathers, and sing- 

 ularly enough Capt. Fielden during Nares' expedition mentions on 

 the 8th August in Eobeson's Channel having met with the young 

 birds just able to fly retaining some of the down on their feathers. 

 It is wonderful how soon such like birds leave the district where 

 they are bred and also how quickly their fuU powers of flight 



