572 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



both sexes (Slater and Manniche). Period : hatches on 22nd day 

 (Evans). Probably single brooded, but eggs found up to July. 



Food. — Mainly animal, little vegetable matter recorded. Mollusca 

 (Tellina, Littorina, snails and slugs) ; worms ; Crustacea (shrimps 

 and sandhoppers), insects, including coleoptera (Helophorus and 

 weevil sp ?), diptera (Tipula, and pupse of Musca), etc. Also spiders. 

 Fragments of grass and seeds have occasionally been recorded. 



Distribution. — British Isles. — Summer -resident (to what extent 

 migrant is uncertain), winter- visit or and passage -migrant (mid- 

 July to mid-Nov. and early March to early June), weather -move- 

 ments, Nov.-Peb., frequent. Breeds sparingly moors Cardigan, 

 Denbigh and Merioneth, (formerly Dee marshes), Lanes., Yorks. 

 and Derby borders, north and north-west Yorks., and Tees marshes ; 

 northwards more abundantly both moors and coast -marshes, and 

 most Hebrides, Orkneys and Shet lands. Has bred Cornwall, 

 Devon, Somerset, and Lines. In Ireland breeds small numbers 

 many parts Leinster, Connaught, and Ulster. Many immigrants 

 arrive autumn and until their return in spring the bird is very 

 numerous on all coasts, while many non -breeding birds stay through- 

 out summer. 



Distribution. — Abroad. — Breeds in north Europe, south to Holland 

 and coasts of north Germany, northern Russia east to Kolguev, 

 Waigatz and apparently Novaya Zemlia, also Spitsbergen, Iceland 

 and Faeroes. Migrates in winter to Mediterranean, north Africa, 

 Madeira and Canaries and Bed Sea, also to India. Accidental in 

 eastern N. America. Beplaced by an allied race in east Asia and 

 N. America, and by another in W. Siberia, which, however, requires 

 further investigation and confirmation. 



CALIDRIS FERRUGINEA 



391. Calidris ferruginea (Briinn).— THE CURLEW-SANDPIPER. 



Trdstga ferruginea Briinnich, Orn. Bor., p. 53 (1764 — Iceland and 



Christiansoe). 



Tringa subarquata (Giildenstadt), Yarrell, in, p. 413 ; Saunders, p. 591. 



Description. — Adult male and female. Winter. — Crown ash-brown, 

 nape paler, feathers with whitish edges and sometimes narrowly 

 streaked dusky-brown ; mantle and scapulars ash-brown, shafts 

 darker and feathers edged lighter ; back and rump ash-brown, 

 feathers edged white ; sides of back and rump and all upper tail- 

 coverts white ; ear-coverts, cheeks and sides of neck white, streaked 

 dusky-brown ; eye -stripe, chin and throat white ; breast white 

 faintly streaked brown, most pronounced at sides, which are shaded 

 fulvous ; remaining under-parts white ; tail-feathers ash-brown, 

 narrowly edged white, three outer pairs more or less ash-white on 

 inner webs ; primaries sepia, inner webs more or less white towards 

 base, 6th and succeeding with narrow white margins on outer webs ; 

 secondaries ash-brown, edged white and inner webs largely white, 



