A 
their oozy feeding grounds to banquet upon 
the tiny shell-fish upon which they largely 
subsist. 
208. Sanderling, Calidris arenaria (Linn.). 
This arctic bird is to be found on the 
shores of Cumberland from August to the 
middle of June, but it only occurs inland on 
migration. The numbers which visit us in 
autumn are small, composed of young birds 
in first dress and adults exchanging summer 
for winter dress, which they commence to do 
in August. We seldom meet with any large 
flocks before the arrival of winter, and those 
that winter with us are very irregular in their 
movements. It is during May and June that 
we expect to see hundreds, and even thou- 
sands, of sanderlings resting upon our exten- 
sive sands before continuing their journey to 
some great unknown land; for where the 
multitudes of sanderlings and knots that pass 
through our area at one time or another can 
possibly breed, is a mystery that has not been 
solved by any of the polar expeditions. 
209. Ruff (2 Reeve). 
(Linn.). 
An autumn visitant, occasionally noticed 
when migrating across our moors (for birds 
have been killed by sportsmen on several 
occasions, as was the case in the autumn of 
1899, when a reeve was shot near Cocker- 
mouth), but principally observed upon our 
salt marshes. The autumn of 1896 was a 
particularly good season for ruffs, many of 
which frequented our marshes throughout 
September. ‘The ruff very seldom winters 
in England ; but in the last week of January, 
1895, a single male bird was shot at Skinbur- 
ness by W. Nicol. I have never seen the 
ruff in spring, but the late James Cooper sent 
to Mr. C. M. Adamson a clutch of eggs of 
this species which had been taken in the 
vicinity of the Solway Firth. 
Machetes pugnax 
210. Buff - Breasted Sandpiper. 
rufescens (Vieillot). 
A straggler of this species was shot on 
Burgh Marsh in September, 1876. It was 
killed by John Dawson, and given to his 
brother, George Dawson, the local entomo- 
logist. In 1892 that veteran wildfowler, 
W. Nicol, who has had a very exceptional 
experience of our waders, saw on Skinburness 
Marsh on September 17th, a bird entirely 
strange to him, but from what he gathered 
from Saunders’ AZanual he had no doubt it 
was a buff-breasted sandpiper. ‘It passed me 
on the marsh scaur in company with two 
curlew sandpipers, and alighted about 150 
yards from where I was, but rose before I got 
Tringites 
HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND 
near and went off towards the creek with a 
redshank. It was not unlike a reeve, but a 
bit less in size.” The words just quoted are 
extracted from the report which he sent to 
me the same day. He did not succeed in 
obtaining the bird. 
211. Common Sandpiper. 
(Linn.). 
Locally, Sand-Lark, Willie Wicket, Willie 
Liltie, Dick-a-dee. 
A summer visitant to the shores of our 
lakes and larger rivers, arriving in April, and 
rapidly distributing its numbers in pairs along 
the sides of our upland streams, which owe 
much of their charm to the presence of this 
bird, the dipper and grey wagtail. 
Totanus hypoleucus 
212. Wood - Sandpiper. Totanus glareola 
(Gmelin). 
Five birds of this species visited Whin’s 
Pond, Edenhall, in August, 1867, and two 
were shot. In 1893 a single immature bird 
was shot on Skinburness Marsh by W. Nicol. 
He sent it to me, but owing to the hot 
weather and my absence from home the 
bird was spoilt. In 1898 Mr. Backhouse 
shot another immature bird in the same 
locality on or about August 20th. This 
was also sent to me too late for preservation, 
avery unfortunate circumstance. 
213. Green Sandpiper. Totanus 
(Linn.). 
An autumn visitant in small numbers, fre- 
quenting our rivers and salt marshes, but 
sparingly distributed throughout the county. 
Mr. W. Little once obtained a young bird 
near Carlisle with so much down upon it 
that he thought it must have been bred 
locally. Old and young undoubtedly appear 
as early as the third week of July. In 1894 
a bird was killed near Drawdykes Castle on 
April 30th, and this is the only local speci- 
men in summer dress that I have handled in 
the flesh. ‘The species is rarely seen in 
winter, but single birds were killed near 
Brampton, January 22nd, 1846; near Car- 
dew Lees, January 3rd, 1885; and on the 
Eden, near Carlisle, December 18th, 1891. 
ochropus 
214. Redshank. Totanus calidris (Linn.). 
Many redshanks nest upon our salt marshes, 
and lesser numbers upon mosses and rough 
pasture lands near the coast, while isolated 
colonies exist upon our fell lands. It is the 
noisiest and most suspicious of all our wild- 
fowl, but is also endeared to me by the 
recollection of the many pleasant hours that 
have been passed in its company, especially 
in the breeding season, when I examined nest 
210 
