PUKRE OR DUNLIN. 85 



GRALLATORES. SCOLOPACID/E. 



PLATE CCI. 



PURRE OR DUNLIN. 



TRTNGA VARIABILIS. 



The Purre and Dunlin, as these birds were formerly 

 called, have many years since been proved to be one and 

 the same bird in different plumages, consequent upon age 

 and sex ; we prefer the name of Dunlin, for many reasons, 

 and propose to call it so during the present description. 

 Of all the Sandpipers that visit Great Britain, the present 

 species is the most numerous, and met with all along our 

 coast, particularly in the autumn of the year, and during 

 the winter. The Dunlin is distributed over Europe, Asia, 

 Northern Africa, and America, and is every where plentiful 

 along the sea-coast, where it runs about incessantly in search 

 of its food. 



Towards the autumn, the Dunlin retires from the severe 

 northern regions, where it breeds, towards the south, and 

 returns again by the middle of April. The numbers that 

 arrive on our coast in the autumn are so great, that we can 

 hardly speak of flocks of hundreds, but must enumerate them 

 by thousands, although it may appear very incredible ; where 

 such a flock alights, it actually covers the sands to a great 

 extent. The migratory journeys of the Dunlin are per- 

 formed early in the morning, or late at night, when they fly 



