Birds. 8447 



Wilson says, " The female differs in being more obscure in her colours, the white of the 

 back being less pure, and the black not so deep." Taking this for granted (which, by 

 the bye, no ornithologist should do), I omitted to dissect one, though I skinned several : 

 however, I have no reason to doubt Wilson's assertion, having invariably found both 

 dark and light birds in the same swamps, and flying in company. I met with no 

 other species of snipe during a year's residence in Canada. Why it should ever have 

 been named Scolopax Wilsoni I cannot conceive, seeing that it must have been a well- 

 known species long ere Wilson set foot on that continent. — Henry Hadfield; Ventnor, 

 Isle of Wight, December 3, 1862. 



[I do not yet quite understand my correspondent : if Scolopax Gallinago is portion of 

 an aggregate species distinct from the common snipe of Europe, what is the common 

 snipe of Europe to be called ?— Edward Newman.'] 



The Sandpiper a Diver.— In the ' Zoologist' (Zool. 8196) Mr. Blake-Knox 

 concludes his note with the remark, " Not knowing that these birds dived, I applied 

 to Mr. Newman for information, and finding the fact entirely unknown to him, 

 I insert this." I also observe notes on the diving of the sandpiper in the November 

 and December numbers ; but had it not been for Mr. Leven's assertion that he had 

 noticed their diving " on one or two occasions, while the birds were amusing themselves 

 on the shore or bank of the stream," there would, I think, be nothing very remarkable ; 

 for that a wounded water bird, though unwebbed, should endeavour to effect its 

 escape by diving is not very wonderful. As to their swimming, I am inclined to 

 believe that most unwebbed water birds would swim on being merely winged. In some 

 unpublished notes I have recorded an instance of an oystercatcher swimming, as noticed 

 at Lossiemouth, N. B., nor shall I readily forget it, on account of the wetting I got on 

 the occasion ; having, in mid-winter, waded into the sea after the bird, thinking, as it 

 was in the dusk of the evening, that I had winged a duck. After pursuing it for some 

 time in the shallow water, for it swam faster than I could walk, it took to the shore, 

 where it was captured. As to the diving habits of the sandpiper, I have also a word 

 to say, and will give the substance of the note above referred to. The same winter 

 (that of 1858), and nearly at the precise spot, I shot some sandpipers while resting on 

 a rock, two being merely winged. The rock was an isolated one, and I had some 

 difficulty in getting to it, but the wounded birds remained quietly seated till I set my 

 foot on it ; they then plunged into the water, and could be seen diving or swimming 

 beneath, one towards the shore (where it was subsequently caught) ; the other, making 

 for some rocks covered with sea-weed, was lost sight of, and effected its escape. I had 

 previously observed that, on being wounded, they would swim, but not dive. I have 

 also seen sandpipers playing in shallow water, but never swimming or diving except 

 when wounded. — Henry Hadfield; December 1, 1862. 



Purple Sandpiper, Iceland Gull and other rare Birds at Dalkey. — The local little 

 purple sandpiper (Tringa maritima) is rather a common species on this coast and the 

 adjacent islands : it is generally seen singly or in pairs, though I have seen flocks of 

 ten and fifteen. Unlike other birds of this family, the purple sandpiper evinces no fear 

 of man ; though approached within three yards, it will sit as if in a " brown study," 

 with the head crouched upon the neck. Its cry is very similar to that of the snipe, 

 though it also makes the shrill whistle peculiar to the sand birds. Birds shot in 

 October have the purple feathers of the back deeply edged with cream-colour ; those 

 in winter plumage a narrow fringe of gray : the white of the abdomen is often suffused 

 with cream-colour or pale pink. On the 2nd of this month, during a severe south-east 



