568 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



flocks. In breeding plumage under-parts chestnut, in winter white, 

 but in either dress Knot is recognized by its size (considerably larger 

 than Dunlin and Sander ling), short legs and plump form, and habit 

 of feeding in densely packed masses, the birds as they travel over 

 the sands suggesting a moving carpet. In flight wing shows a white 

 bar and, at close -quarters, black bars are apparent on white upper 

 tail-coverts. Call a hoarse grunting " knut, knut," which when 

 uttered by many birds in concert becomes a sustained twitter. In 

 nesting-season male, flying at great height in wide circles over 

 breeding -grounds has a flute-like song, described by Feilden as 

 ' ' tullawee-tullawee-whee-whee . ' ' 



Breeding-habits. — Haunts stony tablelands, with very sparse 

 vegetation. Nest. — A cup-shaped hollow in stony ground, lined 

 with fragments of lichens. Eggs. — 4, pyriform, ground-colour 

 greenish-grey, boldly or finely spotted and blotched with blackish 

 and bluish-grey shellmarks. Average of 14 eggs, 43x30. Max. : 

 44 X 31 . Min. : 41 X 30 and 42 X 29 mm. (Goebel). Breeding -season. 

 — Last fortnight June and early July. Incubation. — Apparently by 

 both sexes, but chiefly by female. Period not exactly known. 

 Single brooded. 



Food. — Varied, including insects ; hymenoptera, diptera, larvae 

 of lepidoptera (Dasychira), etc. Also many forms of land, fresh 

 and salt water mollusca (Littorina, Rissoa, Paludestrina, Tellina, 

 etc.) ; small Crustacea (Gammaridse) ; spiders and earthworms. 

 Buds of plants such as Saxifraga oppositifolia and algae are also taken 

 during the summer. 



Distribution. — British Isles. — Winter -visitor and passage -migrant 

 (end July to end Nov. and early March to end May and occasionally 

 later). Most abundant east coasts Great Britain, common south, 

 and west coasts England and in Solway, but north of Clyde, as in 

 Hebrides, and apparently Orkneys and Shetlands scarce. Common 

 east and north coasts Ireland, but scarce elsewhere. Occasional 

 inland. Extensive autumn and spring passage -movements of birds 

 wintering further south, and in severe weather many of our winter- 

 visitors pass south. 



Distribution. — Abroad. — Breeds in Arctic regions, New Siberian 

 Islands, Taimyr Peninsula in Siberia, perhaps Iceland, Greenland, 

 migrates south as far as south Africa, India, Australia, and New 

 Zealand. Replaced by closely allied subspecies in N. America, migra- 

 ting to S. America, as far as Patagonia, but exact distribution not 

 yet known, adults from Alaska and Greenland require further study. 



CALIDRIS ALPINA 



390. Calidris alpina alpina (L.) — THE DUNLIN. 



Tringa alpina Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 149 (1758 — Lapland). 

 Tringa alpina Linnaeus, Yarrell, in, p. 377 ; Saunders, p. 583. 



Description. — Adult male and female. Winter. — Crown, nape, 

 mantle and scapulars ash-brown, centre of feathers darker giving a 



