280 THE GAME BIEDS AND WILD FOWL 



Family CHAEADRIID^. Genus Calidbis. 



Subfamily Sgolopacinm. 



SANDERUNQ. 



CALIDEIS AEBNAEIA— (Lmwtetts). 



Tringa arenaria, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 251 (1766) ; Dixon, Nests and Eggs Non- 

 indig. Brit. B. p. 274 (1896). 



Calidris arenaria (Linn.), Macgill. Brit. B. iv. p. 237 (1852); Dresser, B. Eur. viii. 

 p. 101, pis. 559, 560 (1877) ; Yarrell, Brit. B. ed. 4, iii. p. 420 (1883) ; Seebohm, 

 Hist. Brit. B. iii. p. 221 (1885) ; Lilford, Col. Eig. Brit. B. pt. xxi. (1892) ; 

 Seebohm, Col. Pig. Eggs Brit. B. p. 150, pi. 41 (1896) ; Sharpe, Handb. B. 

 Gt. Brit. iii. p. 260 (1896) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxiv. p. 526 (1896). 



Geographical distribution. — British .• The Sanderling is a common 

 visitor to our area on spring and autumn migration, most abundant during the 

 latter, a few remaining behind in the fall to winter, especially in the mild climate 

 of the south. It visits all the islands as well as the mainland coasts, including 

 the Orkneys and Shetlands, the Hebrides and the Channel Islands ; and occa- 

 sionally occurs some distance inland, especially near to large sheets of water. 

 Foreign : Circumpolar region in summer, Palaearctic and Nearctic regions chiefly 

 on passage ; Ethiopian, Oriental, and Neotropical regions in winter. It probably 

 breeds in suitable localities on all the shores of the Arctic Ocean, although its 

 known breeding grounds are remarkably few. In the Old World its eggs appear 

 only to have been taken in Iceland (lat. 65°), although it is to be met with 

 during summer on Spitzbergen, as was recently ascertained by Mr. Pike, on the 

 Grolaievskai Islands in the Petchora Gulf, the Waigats, Nova Zembla, the delta 

 of the Yenesei, the Taimur peninsula, and the Laikov Islands. In the New 

 World portion of the Circumpolar region its eggs have been taken on the 

 Anderson Eiver (lat. 68°), on the Parry Isles (lat. 78°), in Grinnell Land (lat. 

 82|-°), and in Greenland on the west coast near Smith Sound (lat. 79°), and 

 Godthaab (nestlings) (lat. 63°), on the east coast, Sabine Island (lat. 745-°). It is 

 also a common bird during summer in Alaska. It passes the coasts of Europe, 

 Asia, and America, as well as along many internal routes, on migration, and 

 winters in the basin of the Mediterranean, on the coasts of Africa, Arabia, and 

 the Mekran coast, but becomes rare in India, Ceylon and Burmah. Dr. Abbott 

 states that this species is " common " on Aldabra Island, north-west of Mada- 

 gascar, whilst four examples are recorded from it by Eidgway. Further east it 



