128 



and centrally narrowly striped with that colour ; primary quills blackish, the inner ones being broadly 

 margined on the inner web with white towards the base, the short spurious quill pure white ; secondaries 

 tipped with white, and having a broad white band towards the base of the feather, being otherwise 

 blackish ; central tail-feathers coloured like the upper parts, the remainder white barred with blackish, 

 the inner ones washed with greyish buff ; chin and a streak over the eye white ; sides of the neck and 

 breast pale ashy grey, striped with blackish, rest of the underparts pure white ; bill dull flesh-colour at 

 the base, otherwise dark brown ; iris dark brown ; legs grey with a greenish tinge. Total length about 

 7-7"5 inches, culmen 1-1, wing 45, tail 2'55, tarsus 1*0. 



Adult Female (Archangel) . Resembles the male, but is a trifle less in size. 



Young (Pagham, July). Differs from the adult in having the upper parts not marked with black only, but 

 the feathers tipped with brownish ochreous, and narrowly barred with black, these markings being most 

 conspicuous on the wing-coverts ; sides of the breast darker grey than in the adult. 



Winter plumage (Malacca) . Differs from the summer dress in being more uniform and much less marked 

 with black above, and in having the throat and breast greyer and more striped. 



Young in down. Covered with close, soft down ; upper parts light ash-grey, dotted with black ; a black line 

 passes through the eye ; and a deep-black stripe runs from the base of the bill along the head, nape, and 

 the centre of the back. 



The range of this Sandpiper is very extensive ; for it is met with throughout Europe, Africa, down 

 to the Cape colony, and Asia, down to the Malay archipelago, being also found in Australia. In 

 Europe it is, general speaking, a summer visitant, retiring south in the late autumn. 



Throughout Great Britain it is generally distributed during the summer season ; but it breeds 

 only rarely in the south of England; and it is somewhat remarkable that it visits our eastern 

 counties only during the seasons of passage, not remaining to breed there. According to Mr. 

 A. G. More (Ibis, 1865, p. 436) it is "scarce in the south of England during the breeding- 

 season, and apparently wanting in several of the southern and eastern counties. The common 

 Sandpiper is reported to breed only occasionally in Cornwall, but regularly in North and South 

 Devon and Somerset. In Dorset it becomes more rare, though Mr. Groves has seen it on several 

 small streams. Mr. Knox describes it as breeding regularly in Sussex, where, however, it must 

 be scarce, as Mr. Borrer has only once found the nest. It seems doubtful whether the bird 

 breeds in Kent ; and it appears to be wanting in several of the eastern and southerndistricts." 

 Mr. Stevenson mentions that Mr. J. H. Gurney, when staying at Pembroke in 1867, was informed 

 on good authority that it nests regularly in that county. In Scotland it is generally distributed. 

 Mr. Gray writes (B. of W. of Scotl. p. 297) as follows : — " I have seen it occasionally in gardens 

 and orchards on the banks of the Clyde, near the town of Lanark, forming its nest under bushes, 

 in flower-pots, and among growing plants. Mr. Alston informs me of having taken similar notes 

 on its nesting-habits near Lesmahagow ; but in such cases it is invariably found in the immediate 

 vicinity of water. Frequently I have seen pairs select a turnip-field contiguous to the water of 

 the Girvan, and lay their eggs under the leaves of the growing plants — a habit acquired from expe- 

 rience of previous floods which had for one or two seasons in succession swept away their nests 

 from the banks of shingle on which most persons, as well as birds, would have thought them safe 



