in small parties later in the year, always amongst rocks 

 overgrown with seaweed, amongst which the birds find 

 their food. I have repeatedly seen Purple Sandpipers 

 lifted from the rocks by the waves and paddling on 

 the water till it receded and left the weeds " as they 

 were." I have also frequently noticed birds of this 

 species swimming in the little pools amongst the rocks ; 

 they are exceedingly fearless, and always permitted 

 close observation from our boats. 



This Sandpiper is said to be the most numerous of 

 its genus throughout the greater portions of the Arctic 

 regions, and it breeds in considerable numbers in the 

 Faeroes, as also in Iceland, Greenland, Spitzbergen, 

 and Novaya Zemlya. 



I leave the description of the nest and egg of this 

 species to those authors who have personally met with 

 them. In this country the Purple Sandpiper very 

 rarely wanders to any considerable distance from salt- 

 water. 



