A. C. CHAPMAN : BIRDS OF NORTHUMBERLAND COAST. 39 



year old. These birds breed on the shingle banks of the mainland, 

 as well as on the Fame Islands. Their flight is very regular, often 

 in line, and can easily be mistaken for ducks on a dark winter's 

 morning. Their cry can be heard at least a mile away. 



Whimbrels seem to prefer black seaweed-covered rocks, and are 

 fond of wading in rock pools for their food. They are generally a 

 shy bird during the short time they remain on our shores. I have 

 sometimes heard them passing overhead on their southern migration, 

 several miles inland. They are generally found singly or in pairs, 

 but they congregate in flocks prior to their final departure. 



Such are the birds generally found on the black rocks along the 

 shore, though others — Herons (Ardea cinerea), Redshank and Dunlin 

 (Tringa alpi?id) — also frequent such places. The latter are often to 

 be seen sitting amongst the floating seaweed, but their proper haunts 

 are certainly the mudflats and sands recently left by the tide. Some 

 of the sandflats on the Northumberland coast are so extensive and so 

 flat that hundreds of acres, which but an hour ago were all covered 

 with water, are now left dry by the tide, and the amount of sand 

 upheaved in pyramidal heaps by the numberless sandworms in the 

 short space of a few hours is something marvellous. The whole 

 surface is studded with their workings, and in such a place many small 

 waders delight to feed. Here are to be found Dunlin, Ring Plover 

 (ALgialitis hiaticula), and Sanderlings in vast flocks ; whilst further up, 

 near the dry sand links, with their stiff bent grass, small detachments 

 of Curlew Sandpipers may be seen. I noticed a pair of these birds 

 on August 6th this year, quite close to the town of Sunderland. They 

 were resting high up on the beach, and close to the dry sandhills with 

 the bent grass, for which they evidently have a partiality. I have 

 sometimes walked almost into the middle of a flock of small waders 

 before detecting their presence, generally indicated by the cry of 

 a Dunlin, as he rises within a few paces ; then one sees perhaps a 

 dozen, some sitting, some running, their elegant forms reflected in the 

 mirror-like glossy surface of sand. 



In August, nearly all these birds are young of the year, though 

 with the binoculars, one can here and there pick out a ragged- 

 feathered, black-breasted Dunlin, with the incubation spot still 

 conspicuous on handling him, but I have never been able to procure 

 in this country a Dunlin with its summer dress, i.e., its black breast, 

 nearly so perfectly developed as are those shot further north on the 

 coast of Norway. 



Many of the young birds shot in the end of August have 

 already attained some of the grey feathers of winter. It is not at all 

 rare to find Dunlin several miles inland at this season ; they then 



Feb. 1886. 



