504 SANDERLING PLOVER. 
tne sand amid the roar of the ocean. It flies in numerous flocks, 
keeping a low, meandering course along the ridges of the tumbling 
surf. On alighting, the whole scatter about after the receding wave, 
busily picking up those minute bivalves already described. As the 
succeeding wave returns, it bears the whole of them before it in one 
crowded line; then is the moment seized by the experienced gunner 
to sweep them in flank with his destructive shot. The flying survivors, 
after a few aérial meanders, again alight, and pursue their usual avo- 
cation as busily and unconcernedly as before. These birds are most 
numerous on extensive sandy beaches in front of the ocean. Among 
rocks, marshes, or stones covered with sea-weed, they seldom make 
__their appearance. 
The Sanderling is eight inches long, and fourteen inches in extent ; 
the bill is black, an inch and a quarter in length, slender, straight, 
fluted along the upper mandible, and exactly formed like that of the 
Sandpiper; the head, neck above, back, scapulars, and tertials, are 
gray white ; the shafts, blackish, and the webs, tinged with brownish 
ash; shoulder of the wing, black; greater coverts, broadly tipped with 
white ; quills, black, crossed with a transverse band of white ; the tail 
extends a little beyond the wings, and is of a grayish ash color, edged 
with white, the two middle feathers being about half an inch longer 
than the others; eye, dark hazel; whole lower parts of the plumage, 
pure white; legs and naked part of the thighs, black ; feet, three-toed, 
each divided to its origin, and bordered with a narrow membrane. 
Such are the most common markings of this bird, both of males and 
females, particularly during the winter; but many others occur among 
them, early in the autumn, thickly marked or spotted with black on 
the crown, back, scapulars, and tertials, so as to appear much mottled, 
having as much black as white on those parts. In many of these, ¢ 
have observed the plain gray plum:ge coming out about the middle of 
October; so that, perhaps, the gray may be their winter, and the spot- 
ted their summer dress. 
I have also met with many specimens of this bird, not only thickly 
speckled with white, and black above, but also on the neck, and 
strongly tinged on both with ferruginous ; in which dress it has been 
mistaken by Mr. Pennant, and others, for a new species; the descrip- 
tion of his “ Ruddy Plover” agreeing exactly with this.* A figure of 
the Sanderling in this state of plumage will be introduced in some 
part of the present work. 
* See Arct. Zool >. 486, No. 404. 
