Family CHARADRIID^. Genus Tringa. 



Subfamily Scolopacinm. 



CURLEW SANDPIPER. 



TRINGA %\2^KM^K^h.~{Guldenstddt). 



Geographical Distribution. — British .■ Fairly common 

 visitor on spring and autumn migration, most frequent during 

 the latter season, and commonest at all times on the lower-lying 

 coasts, notably the eastern counties of England south of the 

 Humber, and westwards to Devon and Cornwall. Rarer on the 

 western coast line of Great Britain than the eastern, and only 

 accidental in the Orkneys and Shetland. Occasionally met with 

 inland. Of regular occurrence in Ireland in autumn, a few 

 remaining on the southern coasts during the greater part of the 

 winter. Foreign : Eastern half of Circumpolar region in summer ; 

 Ethiopian, Oriental, and Australian regions in winter ; Palasarctic 

 region principally on migration. The breeding grounds of the 

 Curlew Sandpiper are as yet entirely unknown, and are probably 

 situated on undiscovered land north of Franz Josef Land and 

 the Liakoff Islands. Indeed, it is not improbable that the bird 

 may breed on these islands, as it was observed very late in 

 summer by Mr. Seebohm both in the valleys of the Petchora 

 and the Yenesay; whilst it has been obtained in summer at 

 Archangel and on the Taimyr peninsula, and has been 

 observed on migration in the Lena delta, near Behring Strait 

 by the Vega Expedition, and at Point Barrow, in Alaska. It 

 passes along the coasts of Europe, and crosses by fly-lines 

 in the interior of the continents of Europe and Asia, as well 

 as the coasts of China on migration. Those that migrate across 

 Europe winter in Africa, both inland and on the coast ; and a 

 few appear to do so in the basin of the Mediterranean. Those 



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