324 
allen’s naturalist's liiirary. 
known, as in Eastern Siberia the Wliimbrcl is replaced by an 
allied species, JV. varicgaites, which breeds in Eastern Siberia, 
and passes through Japan and China to the Malayan Archi- 
pelago and Australia in winter. The ranges of the two species 
coalesce in their winter quarters in Burma and the Malayan 
Peninsula, but, as already noticed, information as to the exact 
division of the summer ranges of the two species is still want- 
ing. The Whimbrel wanders occasionally to Greenland, but 
is not known to breed there. In winter it goes south to the 
Mediterranean, and passes to South Africa. It is also found 
at that season on the shores of the Persian Gulf and many parts 
of the Indian Pcninsul.r, occurring in the islands of the Bay of 
Bengal and on the shores of the Burmese Provinces and the 
Malayan Peninsula. In the last-named localities N. variegafus, 
coining from the cast, inhabits the same winter quarters. 
Habits. — The quivering note of the Whimbrel gains for it, on 
some of our southern coasts, the common name of “ Titterel.” 
In the autumn it is found in small flocks which arc, as a rule, 
remarkably shy. They feed out on the mud-flats or on the 
margin of the sea at low water, and, as the tide begins to flow, 
they gradually retrace their steps towards the shore, until, when 
the tide has made good head-way, they rise and seek the in- 
land pastures, after the manner of the Godwits in spring. Thus 
I found them somewhat difficult to obtain in autumn, as the 
birds flew high in the air, keeping up their “tittering” note, 
and carefully avoided the point of concealment which I 
selected. Occasionally a young bird will be found singly on 
the mud-flats and may be procured without difficulty, but I 
have known the wariness of the Whimbrel to be circumvented 
at night-time, for have I not often listened to the talc of my 
old shore-shooting companion, Alfred Grant of Sidlesham, of 
how he shot twenty one Whimhrel on the sand-spit of the 
“Dobbin” in the Pagham Harbour of yore. On one of my 
old collecting trips for the British Museum I also procured 
from the little embankment which he had erected for the shoot- 
ing of the Whimbrel the largest number of shore-birds which 
it was my lot to procure in my life. He had noticed that at 
night time the Whimbrel instead of going outside the harbour 
on to the sand beyond, were wont to collect on the “ Dobbin,” 
