SANDERLING — GREY PLOVER. 
1G7 
THE SANDEKLING. 
Calidris armaria. 
This is a regular visitant in autumn and spring, seldom re- 
maining longer than a few days, merely, as it were, pausing to 
rest on its way. Until lately, I entertained strong hopes that 
it might he found breeding, having seen it in the north of 
Unst in June, and even as late as the beginning of July. How- 
ever, there is nothing in the behaviour of the birds to justify the 
idea ; they appear in small parties, not in pairs, and show no 
disposition to attach themselves to one particular spot. Cer- 
tainly, July would appear full time for the commencement of 
laying, but their breeding haunts, be they ever so far north, 
are within easy reach of birds of such rapid flight, and it has 
already been shown that some of our native species, having 
habits similar to those of the Sanderling, breed fully as late. 
The last summer specimen that I examined was killed on the 
13th of June 1868, when, out of a small party at Balta Sound, 
I procured a female in full breeding dress, and containing ova 
as large as No. 3 shot. Birds arriving in August often still 
retain a considerable amount of rust colour in various parts of 
the plumage. 
More than a dozen seldom appear at one time, yet at Hamna 
Voe I saw about fifty one autumn evening in 1867. 
THE GEEY PLOVER 
Squatarola cinerea. 
It is quite possible that this species, associating so frequently 
as it does with the Golden Plover, may be at least as regular a 
winter visitor to Shetland as it is said to be to Orkney, although 
even there it is scarce. It was first noticed in Shetland by 
Thomas Edmondston, who killed a male at Balta Sound on the 
20th of December 1844, and duly recorded the fact (Zool. 
