36o allen’s naturalist’s library. 
discovered, like the Little Stint, the bird appears to assume an 
unnatural tameness, walking about and feeding close to the 
observer. The nest is often in longish sedge or rushes, and 
less frequently in short grass.” The male is said to be the 
parent which hatches the eggs. 
Eggs. — Four in number. As a rule paler than in L. minuta, 
and with the markings rather smaller and less distinct. The 
ground-colour varies from a coffee-brown to a greyish or olive 
stone-colour. The spots are reddish-brown or dull chestnut, 
sometimes very minute, in the case of the stone-coloured eggs, 
but in other instances the markings are bolder and somewhat 
confluent towards the larger end of the egg. The large spots are 
often distributed over the egg in equal variety, and the under- 
lying spots are grey, and are often as prominent as the over- 
lying ones. Axis, i'05-i'2 inch ; diam., o75-o'8. 
THE SANDERLINGS. GENUS CALIDRIS. 
Calidris, llliger, Prodromus, p. 249 (1811). 
Type, C. arenaria (Linn.). 
The well-known Sanderling is the single representative of the 
genus Calidris, which may be described as a three-toed Sand- 
piper, for it belongs to the same group as the Stints and Pectoral 
Sandpipers, but is distinguished from all of them by the absence 
of the hind-toe. The bill is somewhat stout, and the culmen 
is about equal in length to the tarsus. The range of the genus 
will be found in detail below under the heading of the species. 
I. THE SANDERLING. CALIDRIS ARENARIA. 
Tringa arenaria, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 251 (1766). 
Calidris arenaria, Macgill. Brit. B. iv. p. 237 (1852) ; Dresser, 
B. Eur. viii. p. lox, pis. 559, 560 (1877); B. O. U. List 
Brit. B. p. 172 (1883)5 Saunders, ed. Yarrell’s Brit. B. 
iii. p. 420 (1883)5 Seebohm, Hist. Brit. B. iii. p. 221 (1885)5 
Saunders, Man. Brit. B. p. 583 (1889)5 Sharpe, Cat. B. 
Brit. Mus. xxiv. p. 526 (1896). 
Adult Male in Winter Plumage. — General colour above light 
ashy-grey, with more or less distinct hoary white edgings to the 
