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6 



Boganida, in 70° N. lat. It remained on the Taimyr until the 15th August; but on the 11th of 

 that month they had commenced to collect in flocks. He observed a pair in the Stanowoi 

 Mountains on the 16th May; and on the 11th August the first flocks appeared on the south 

 coast of the Sea of Ochotsk. Von Schrenck obtained the first specimen in the spring of 1855 

 on the 14th (26th) May at the mouth of the Amoor; and in the autumn of 1854 they appeared 

 very early, the first being seen at the Nikolaieffsk post on the 16th (28th) August. Dr. Radde 

 does not appear to have met with it. Mr. Swinhoe states that it is found on the Chinese and 

 Formosan shores in winter, coming early and retiring late ; and it also occurs in Japan. Mr. H. 

 Whitely says (Ibis, 1867, p. 205), "Two specimens obtained: — one in November 1864 of a 

 native bird-catcher; the other shot by Captain Blakiston, January 26th, 1865, during a trip we 

 made to Nannyabama, a small village about six miles round the bay from Hakodadi. It was 

 quite alone." It ranges southward to Borneo and Java, whence there are examples in the Leiden 

 Museum. In America it is found throughout the United States in suitable localities during 

 passage and in winter, but breeds only in the high north. Richardson (Faun. Bor.-Am. ii. 

 p. 383) says that it breeds plentifully on the arctic coast of America, and that they killed it on 

 the Saskatchewan on passage ; and I met with it commonly on the coast of New Brunswick during 

 the autumn migration. It is met with down to the Southern States, but does not appear to range 

 below the limits of the United-States territory, and I never observed it when collecting in Texas. 

 Dr. Elliott Coues says that in North Carolina it is very abundant in April and May, and from 

 September to November, some few probably remaining over winter. It occurs on the Pacific as 

 well as on the Atlantic side of N. America; Mr. Bannister found it common at St. Michael's, 

 and Mr. Elliott in British Columbia. Bischoff obtained ten specimens at Sitka; and Mr. Dall 

 says that it was not uncommon at Nulato, and plentiful at the Yukon mouth, where its eggs 

 were obtained. It also occurs on the Atlantic islands, as Gundlach records it in Cuba from 

 October to May. 



The Dunlin frequents the muddy shores of estuaries near the coast, places on the latter 

 which are left bare when the tide recedes, sometimes the shores of inland waters, morasses, &c, 

 but always such places as are entirely open and free from trees or bushes, and especially where 

 the soil is muddy and not sandy. During the winter and when on passage it is most frequently 

 met with on the coast, and very often in vast flocks. At high water these flocks remain on the 

 sands or headlands ; but so soon as the water recedes they are all activity, and scatter about the 

 places left bare by the falling tide, searching diligently after food ; and the present species is 

 often found in company with Sanderlings, Ringed Plovers, and other small waders. I have often 

 seen them feeding close to the edge of the water, following the wave as it recedes, and running 

 swiftly out of the way as it again advances ; but a large expanse of mudflat appears to be their 

 most congenial haunt. Unless they have been fired at or otherwise disturbed, the Dunlins are 

 not very shy ; but when once they have gained sufficient experience to know and fear any one 

 with a gun it is not so easy to approach within gun-shot range. They feed on small crustaceans, 

 marine worms, and insects of various kinds, which they either pick up off the ground or obtain 

 by probing in the soft mud. Sometimes they will wade into shallow water ; but, as a rule, they 

 appear to do this but seldom. The flight of the Dunlin is very swift, being a succession of 

 regular beats of the wing, with occasional intermissions, the wings not being fully extended, but 



