66 



THE ZOOLOGIST. 



birdstuffer, but Capt. Knox, in his ' Ornithological Rambles in 

 Sussex,' talks of Arctic Terns breeding on this shingle, and, as I 

 have never shot one of these, I cannot say for certain which they 

 are. I judge them to be Common by the note. It is at present 

 the object of my ambition to find a Dunlin's nest on the 

 Crumbles, and thus add it to the list of Sussex breeding birds. 

 I often see the bird in spring, and have several times seen pairs 

 about for days in May and June, and have heard of eggs being 

 found, but never so far from the finder ; the information has 

 always been second-hand. Of the smaller breeding birds, the 

 most interesting is the Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla raii). It has 

 increased as a breeding species with the increase of the grass, 

 and it nests, like the Eedshank, in a tuft. The same may be 

 said of the Reed-Bunting (Emberiza schoe nidus) . I once thought 

 the Blue-headed Wagtail was nesting here, but could never 

 prove it. 



The strip of furze, &c, between the " Hassock" and the 

 " Ballast-hole" produces nests of the Sedge-Warbler, Whitethroat, 

 Nightingale, Linnet, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Hedge- Sparrow, and 

 Red-backed Shrike, and I have seen a Cuckoo haunting it in 

 June. Autumn always sees an influx of waders, which pass in 

 lesser numbers in spring. They are mostly Dunlin, with a few 

 Knot, Grey and Golden Plover, Common and Green Sandpipers, 

 Curlew-Sandpipers, and Little Stint. The last-named may be 

 regularly expected, though they are doubtless overlooked, for a 

 Little Stint, puffed out, may easily pass for a Dunlin, unless one 

 looks specially for its shorter beak. I have also seen it more 

 than once late in the spring. In July we get a return passage 

 of the Cuckoo. In September Wheatears are common, and also 

 Pied Wagtails and Meadow-Pipits ; and in October a flight of 

 Ring-Ouzels is no uncommon event. Later on, beside the 

 commoner finches, I have met small flocks of Goldfinches and 

 Snow-Buntings, with an occasional Brambling or Redpoll or 

 Goldcrest, and have known birdcatchers to take the Shore-Lark 

 (Otocorys alpestris) and Lapland Bunting (Calcarius lapponicus), 

 while the commoner Gulls are always passing, and are often 

 present in large numbers. Hard weather brings Common Snipe 

 in large wisps, and a few Jack and Water-Rail, and at times a 

 Coot. A few Geese pass over, but generally high up, and 



