118 
CHARADEIID.®. 
sand without alighting ; reserving for that purpose the little 
banks of gravel or stones. When a number are seen together 
in bold rapid flight,, they present quite a brilliant spectacle^ 
from the silvery wliiteness of the whole under plumage ; and, 
when making a sudden turn, even flash upon the sight. The 
white marking upon the otherwise dark-coloured wing, too, has a 
very handsome appearance. Their call is peculiar, and very pleas- 
ing ; being loud, with the same note repeated hurriedly several 
times. When thus in flocks, they are generally too wary to admit 
of a sufflciently near approach to enable us to observe their 
peculiar mode of feeding, whence their name is derived. But the 
first of the species which came under my observation, having been 
a single bird, admitted of my close approach, and was so busily 
occupied in tmming over the pebbles on the beach of the Kinne- 
gar, that by walking directly towards it on the exposed shore 
(perhaps unobserved by the bird), I approached so near, three 
times, as distinctly to perceive its mode of proceeding. Being a 
juvenile sportsman, and not having essayed the art of shooting 
flying,^^ I in each instance had the cruelty to fire at the poor bird, 
wliich, however, seemed notliing the worse from the first or 
second shot ; — at the third, it fell. 
From the labour of tmming over the pebbles for its prey — the 
Crustacea, &c. beneath — the turnstone, as may be supposed, moves 
much more slowly over the beach than the other Grallatores ; 
which have only to pick up what is exposed to view.* 
Tliis species is rarely met with in Belfast bay in winter,t spring, 
or summer. It has been obtained in the first named season. On 
the 27th March, 1838, a small flock was seen. On the 25th 
May, 1825, a female bird which came into my possession was 
shot, (on dissection fifteen ova, in size from a mere point to that 
of a pea, were reckoned) ; and on the 7th June, 1833, 1 observed 
a single bird on the shore of the Kinnegar. 
* Audubon, in the fourth volume of his Ornithological Biography, gives, from his 
own observations, an extremely interesting account of its manner of turning over 
various objects. 
t So early as Aug. 23, 1848, a bird in full winter plumage was shot here. About 
a week previously, a knot {Tringa canutus) in full summer plumage was obtained. 
