XIV MIGRATION 353 
incapable of flying great distances. Indeed there is little, 
if any, foundation for the old idea that the big birds 
carried the small, though it is imaginable that a tired 
Goldcrest might alight upon a Goose’s back as he does 
upon a ship. The Sanderling, a frequenter of our 
sandy shores in autumn, is only eight inches in length. 
The Knot, a common bird on the estuaries and mud- 
flats of our east coast; measures ten inches. The 
Turnstone, which may be seen feeding among the 
seaweed in May, on its way north, and in August 
or September on its way south, is only a little larger 
than the Sanderling. The Nightingale is not so great 
a traveller, but he is known to go as far south as 
Abyssinia. The Blackcap often nests as far north 
as lat. 66° in Scandinavia, and winters down in 
Abyssinia or Gambia. 
In the great north and south migration it will 
be seen that some birds merely rest upon our shores 
as they pass from one of their residences to the other. 
The Little Stint, besides the three just mentioned, 
the Sanderling, the Knot, and the Turnstone, is one of 
those which use the British Isles merely as a hostelry, 
The Whimbrel, often known as the Maybird, because 
of its punctual appearance in that month, might 
almost be put in the same class. But though its 
travels are never ended till it has passed Great 
Britain and Ireland, its nest may sometimes be found 
in the Orkneys or Shetlands. 
