CHAPTER II.

PLOVERS AND SANDPIPERS.

_Characteristics and Affinities—Changes of Plumage—Structural

Characters—Oyster-catcher—Ringed Plover—Kentish Plover—Golden

Plover—Gray Plover—Lapwing—Turnstone—Phalaropes—Gray

Phalarope—Red-necked Phalarope—Curlew—Whimbrel—Godwits—Black-tailed

Godwit—Bar-tailed Godwit—Redshank—Sanderling—Knot—Curlew

Sandpiper—Dunlin—Purple Sandpiper—Other Species._

In the present chapter we commence the study of an entirely different

class of birds. The Gulls are for the most part seen flying in the air

or swimming upon the sea, but the Plovers and the Sandpipers spend the

greater part of their time on the ground. Again, Gulls, when adult, are

remarkably showy birds, but the Plovers and allied species are just as

inconspicuous. Many of the haunts frequented by Gulls are utterly

unsuited to the Plovers and Sandpipers. These principally delight in low

sandy coasts, mud-flats, slob-lands, and salt marshes. Rocks and ranges

of cliff have no attraction for these little feathered runners of the

shore; they obtain their food on the shallow margin of the sea, on the

sand and shingle, the mud and the ooze, or at low water among the

weed-draped stones. They are emphatically beach birds. Such parts of the

coast that have little or no beach uncovered at high water, on which

they may rest whilst the tide is turning, or at low water on which they

can seek for food, are but little frequented by these Limicoline birds.

Consequently we find them much more abundant on the flat eastern coasts

of England, and some parts of the southern coasts, with their miles of

sand and mud and wide estuaries, than on the much more rock-bound north

and west.

The Plovers, with their allied forms, the Sandpipers and Snipes, and

between which no very pronounced distinction is known to exist,

constitute a well-defined group of birds, perhaps on the one hand most

closely allied to the Gulls, and on the other hand to the Bustards.

There are more than two hundred species in this group, distributed over

most parts of the world. The Limicolæ (under which term we include the

Plovers, Sandpipers, and their allies) present considerable diversity in

the colour of their plumage, and in a great many species this colour

varies to an astonishing degree with the season. The most brilliant hues

are assumed just prior to the breeding season; the winter plumage is

much less conspicuous. To a great extent this colour is protective, the

brighter plumage of summer in many species harmonising with the inland

haunts the birds then frequent: the duller hues characteristic of winter

assimilating with the barer ground—the sands and mud-flats. It is worthy

of remark that the species which do not present this great diversity in

their seasonable change of plumage—such as the Snipes and

Woodcocks—confine themselves to haunts clothed with vegetation all the

year round; or—as in the case of the Ringed Plovers—to bare sands and

shingles. In their moulting the Limicolæ are most interesting. It is

impossible to enter very fully into the details of this function in the

present volume, nor is it necessary, for the purpose of this study of

marine bird-life, to do so. A few of the most salient facts, however,

may be mentioned. The young of all Limicoline birds are hatched covered

with down, and are able to run soon after their breaking from the shell.

They consequently spend little time in the nest, after they are hatched.

This down varies considerably not only in the pattern of the colour, but

in the colour itself. Some of these chicks, or young in down, are

beautifully striped or spotted; others are sprinkled or dusted with

darker or lighter tints than the general colour. In all, however, the

colours are eminently protective ones, and harmonise so closely with the

hues of surrounding objects that discovery is difficult; more especially

so as the chicks possess the habit of crouching motionless to the ground

when menaced by danger. The first plumage of the young bird in the

present order, approaches more or less closely in colour that of the

summer plumage of the adult. At the beginning of autumn, however, these

bright colours begin to be changed for a dress which resembles the

winter plumage of their parents. This is not effected, however, by a

moult, but by a change in colour of the feathers, only the very worn and

abraded ones being actually replaced. In the spring following, these

immature birds moult into summer plumage, similar to that of the adults,

although the wing coverts retain their hue, characteristic of summer or

the breeding season, until the next autumn, when for the first time

these feathers are changed for the gray or brown ones of winter. It

should here be remarked that the wing coverts of the adults seem only to

be moulted in the autumn, so that this portion of their plumage is

always the same colour after the bird reaches the adult stage of its

existence. The phenomenon of the alteration of colour in the plumage of

birds, and especially in Limicoline species, without moulting or an

absolute change of the feathers, is a profoundly interesting one. One of

the most remarkable facts in connection with this phenomenon is the

restoration of the worn and ragged margins of the feathers in some

Limicoline species to a perfect condition without a change or moult of

the notched and damaged feather. Schlegel was the first naturalist,

apparently, to discover that this wonderful renovation took place, but

his statements seem to have been doubted by naturalists. Fortunately

Schlegel’s opinions have been fully confirmed by Herr Gätke; and the

reader interested in the subject is referred to that great naturalist’s

remarks thereon in his book on the birds of Heligoland.[1] This seasonal

change of colour may be produced both by a moult and by actual

transition, without cast of feather, even in the same bird: the

restoration of ragged feathers and development of colour upon them may

also be progressing at the same time. Thus the black markings on the

head and neck of the Golden Plover are the result of colour alteration,

but the black on the breast is attained by moult. The colour changes in

the Sanderling, the Knot, the Dunlin, the Redshank, and numerous other

allied birds, are perfectly astonishing: in the Redshank especially so,

the profusely barred upper plumage being developed without change of

feather, and the feathers reacquiring a pristine freshness and

perfectness which seem almost incredible without a complete moult!

Comparatively speaking, the haunts frequented by Limicoline birds during

summer, or the season of reproduction, are not, in the strict sense of

the term, littoral ones. But few species breed on the actual coast—in

our islands they are represented by such birds as the Oyster-catcher and

the Ringed Plover; the vast majority rear their young in inland

localities, on moors and downs, by the side of rivers, streams, and

lakes, in swamps, and so on. As soon, however, as the duties of the year

are over great numbers of species resort to the sea coasts, where, in

all districts suited to their requirements, they form one of the most

characteristic avine features. It is amongst birds of this order that

the habit of migration is exceptionally pronounced, some species

journeying every year many thousands of miles between their summer

haunts, or breeding grounds, and their winter homes, or centres of

dispersal. In the present group of birds the wings are generally long

and pointed, a form best adapted for prolonged and rapid flight, whilst

the legs are usually long—in some species, as, for instance, the

Black-winged Stilt, exceptionally so—enabling the birds to wade through

shallows and over soft mud and ooze. In some species the feet are

semi-webbed, as in the Avocets, in others they are lobed, as in the

Phalaropes. The bill varies to an astonishing degree amongst birds of

this class, and seems specially modified to meet the varying methods by

which food is obtained. Thus we have presented to us the decurved bill

of the Curlew type, the recurved bill, characteristic amongst others of

the Avocet or the Godwits, the nearly straight bill of such forms as the

Oyster-catcher and the Phalarope, hard and chisel-like in the former,

and finely pointed in the latter; then, again, the bill in many species

is hard and horny, in others it is acutely sensitive, full of delicate

nerves, as in the Snipes and many others. The bill of the typical

Plovers differs strikingly from that of the Sandpipers and Snipes,

inasmuch that it tapers from the base to the end of the nasal groove,

then swells towards the tip. It is utterly impossible in a work like the

present, which only attempts a slight sketch of marine bird-life on

British coasts, to deal adequately with the astonishing amount of

variation, even in this single organ of Limicoline birds. We will,

therefore, now proceed to notice the most characteristic species found

on the tideways of our islands, either as resident species, as passing

migrants, or as winter visitors. It will, perhaps, be most convenient,

as well as most interesting, to deal first with those species that are

resident on our coasts, as being the most characteristic forms of this

group of shore birds.

OYSTER-CATCHER.

During summer, this species (the _Hæmatopus ostralegus_ of Linnæus and

other systematists) south of the Yorkshire and Lancashire coasts, is

decidedly local and rare; but north of those localities it becomes one

of the most common and characteristic birds of the shore, even extending

to the Shetlands, the wildest of the Hebrides and St. Kilda. It is of

interest to remark that in some parts of Scotland the Oyster-catcher

drops its marine habits, and frequents the banks of rivers and lochs.

There is, perhaps, no more conspicuous, no more handsome, no more noisy

bird along the coast, than the Oyster-catcher. It is worthily named “Sea

Pie,” its strongly contrasted black and white plumage recalling at once

the Magpie of the inland fields and woods. The favourite haunts of this

species are long stretches of low, rocky coast, relieved here and there

by patches of shingle and long reaches of sand, broken with quiet bays,

creeks, and lochs, where a large amount of beach is exposed at low

water. One may generally find an Oyster-catcher about rocky islands; it

is also very partial to resting on these, between the tides. Few birds

look daintier or prettier than the present species, as it stands

motionless on some weed-grown rock, its pied plumage, rich

orange-coloured bill, and flesh-pink legs, coming out boldly against the

olive-green masses of algæ. It is not often, however, that we can

approach sufficiently close to see such details; as a rule the bird

rises piping shrilly into the air, before it is actually seen, and long

before unaided vision can distinguish colours distinctly. During summer

the Oyster-catcher can scarcely be regarded as gregarious, but in

winter, when its numbers are increased by migrants from the north,

flocks of varying size may be met with. When flushed, the flight of this

bird is very erratic and very rapid, performed by quick and regular

strokes of the long-pointed wings; and perhaps it is now that the

colours of the bird are seen to best advantage. The call note is heard

most frequently and persistently as the bird hurries away in alarm, or

careers about the air overhead, anxious for the safety of its eggs or

young. This note cannot readily be confused with that of any other bird

upon the coast. It may best be described as a loud shrill

_heep-heep-heep_. The food of the Oyster-catcher is composed of mussels,

whelks, limpets, crustaceans, and small fish, together with various

tender buds and shoots of marine plants. Its chisel-shaped bill enables

it readily to detach limpets from the rocks, or force open the closed

valves of the mussel or the cockle. Oyster-catchers often frequent

certain spots on the coast to feed, visiting them as soon as the tide

admits, with great regularity. It may here be remarked that this bird

wades often through the shallows, but never swims, as far as I know,

unless wounded.

The eggs of the Oyster-catcher are laid in May or June, in the north a

little later than in the south. The nesting-place is usually a stretch

of rough pebbles or a shingly beach in some quiet bay, a low rocky

island, or even a stack of rocks. Although Oyster-catchers cannot be

said to breed in colonies, like some of the Gulls and Terns, numbers of

nests may be found at no great distance apart. The nest is simple in the

extreme—a mere hollow, in and round which are neatly arranged flat

pebbles and bits of broken shells. As a rule, several mock nests may be

found near to the one containing the eggs. These eggs are usually three

in number, but sometimes four, pale buff or brownish-buff in ground

colour, blotched, spotted, and streaked with blackish-brown and gray.

Two distinct types are noticeable: one in which the markings are

streaky, and often form a zone; the other in which they are large,

irregular, and distributed over most of the surface. As soon as the nest

is approached the ever-watchful birds rise screaming into the air, and

should many pairs be breeding in company, the din soon becomes general

and deafening. It is under these circumstances alone that the

Oyster-catcher permits man to approach it closely; at all other times it

is certainly one of the shyest and wariest of birds on the coast.

RINGED PLOVER.

With the present species—or resident large race, the _Ægialitis

hiaticula major_ of Tristram, as we should more correctly describe it—we

reach the true Plovers. The Ringed Plover is one of the most widely

distributed of our coast birds, frequenting all the flat sandy shores of

the British Islands, from the Shetlands, in the north, to the Channel

Islands, in the south. And not only does it haunt the coast, but it is

found on the banks of rivers and lochs in many inland districts. In many

places this species is known as the “Ring Dotterel”; in others its local

name is the “Sand Lark.” The favourite haunts of the Ringed Plover are

the sandy portions of the beach; but in autumn and winter this bird

frequently visits mud-flats. The Ringed Plover is about the size of a

Thrush, and may be easily recognised by its broad white collar, black

breast and cheeks, brown upper parts, and snow-white under parts. Its

actions on the shore are most engaging, tripping here and there along

the margin of the waves, over the wet sand and shingle, darting this way

and that as some tempting morsel of food is discovered. If in autumn or

winter, this Plover will generally be met with in flocks of varying

size; if in summer in scattered pairs or parties composed of the birds

breeding in the immediate neighbourhood. Ringed Plovers are most

attached to certain haunts, and seem to frequent them year by year,

notwithstanding continued persecution and disturbance. It is the same

when they are feeding. If alarmed they usually rise in a compact bunch,

fly out to sea a little way, then return inshore, perhaps passing two or

three times up and down before finally alighting. Again and again may

this action be repeated, although the flock has a tendency to break up

if flushed many times in quick succession, and odd birds will fall out,

or remain skulking amongst the shingle. A dense flock or bunch of Ringed

Plovers is a pretty sight. The birds fly quickly, and wheel and turn

with astonishing precision, now close to the waves, then up in the air

above the horizon, often persistently uttering their shrill call note,

which resembles the syllables _too-it_ rapidly repeated. Occasionally a

fair sprinkling of Sanderlings and Dunlins may be observed in the flocks

of this species. If seriously alarmed the entire flock will mount up

high, and go off to a distant part of the coast, or even divide into

several smaller ones, each retiring to a different spot; but almost

invariably they return, and reform into a single company on the old

familiar sands, within a hour or so of their scattered departure. The

food of this pretty little Plover consists of the smaller creatures of

the shore, such as minute sand-worms, shrimps, sand-hoppers, tiny

molluscs, and insects. That this species occasionally eats vegetable

substances I have assured myself by repeated dissection.

Although the Ringed Plover appears only to rear one brood in the year,

its laying season is prolonged from the middle of April to the beginning

of June. Early in April the winter flocks begin to disband, and the

birds to disperse over their breeding places. Many pairs may be found

breeding on one large stretch of sand in a suitable district. Some

individuals seek an inland site for their eggs, on the bank of a stream

or lake, but the majority prefer the sands of the sea-shore.

Occasionally the nest has been discovered remote from water. This Plover

makes no nest. The eggs sometimes are laid in a hollow of the sand, but

just as frequently on the level surface. The fine sand is always

preferred to the shingle, as the eggs best harmonize in appearance with

it, their fine markings becoming more conspicuous on the coarser

surface. The bird sits lightly: indeed it is most exceptional to see one

rise from its eggs, unless the spot had been previously marked. When

disturbed, the birds exhibit but little outward manifestation of alarm.

They may be seen running to and fro about the sand, but their behaviour

is very different from that of the Lesser Terns, which often nest on the

same sands. The eggs of the Ringed Plover are always four in number,

very pyriform in shape, and invariably laid with the pointed ends turned

inwards. They are large in proportion to the bird, and pale buff or

stone colour sparingly spotted and speckled with blackish-brown and

ink-gray. During May and June a smaller and darker race of Ringed Plover

passes along our coasts, to breed further north; appearing on the return

journey during August, September, and October. There is some evidence to

suggest that this race breeds sparingly on the coasts of Kent and

Sussex.

KENTISH PLOVER.

This species, the _Ægialitis cantiana_ of ornithologists, is one of the

most local of British birds. Stragglers have been obtained here and

there along the coast line between Yorkshire and Cornwall, but its only

known nesting places are on certain parts of the coasts of Kent and

Sussex. It is now nearly a century ago since this Plover was first made

known to science by Lewin, who figured it in his _Birds of Great

Britain_; and by Latham, who described and named it in the supplement to

his great work, the _Index Ornithologicus_, from examples which had been

obtained on the Kentish shingles by Mr. Boys of Sandwich. The Kentish

Plover bears a superficial resemblance to the Ringed Plover, but may

readily be distinguished by the broken pectoral band, represented by a

dark patch on each side of the breast, and the reddish-brown nape and

crown. Unlike the preceding species, this Plover is a summer migrant

only to the British coasts, arriving towards the end of April or early

in May, and departing again with its young in August or September. Odd

birds, however, have been met with during winter. The Kentish Plover

does not differ in its habits in any marked degree from the Ringed

Plover, and frequents very similar localities, stretches of sand and

shingle. Like that bird, it also gathers into small parties during

summer; but in our islands, where its numbers are limited, we more

usually find it in isolated pairs on various suitable parts of the

shore. It possesses the same restless habits; running about the wet

shining sands and shingles close to the breaking waves, in quest of the

sand-hoppers, crustaceans, worms, and other small marine creatures on

which it feeds. It cannot be regarded as a shy bird, permitting a

somewhat close approach, and manifesting little fear or alarm even when

its breeding grounds are invaded by man. Its alarm note may be described

as a shrill _ptirr_, but the usual call is a clear loud _whit_, which,

during the love season, is frequently uttered so quickly as to form a

sort of trill, as the cock bird soars and flies round and round above

his mate. The Ringed Plover utters a very similar trill during the

pairing season.

The Kentish Plover rears but one brood during the summer, and

preparations are made for this towards the end of May. It is not

improbable that this Plover pairs for life, seeing that the same

localities are visited year by year for nesting purposes. It makes no

nest, the eggs being laid in a little hollow amongst the coarser sand or

the shingle, or on a drift of dry seaweed and other shore _débris_. The

eggs are usually three, but occasionally four in number, and are pale or

dark buff in ground colour, blotched, scratched, and spotted with

blackish-brown and slate-gray. As is the almost invariable custom with

birds breeding on bare plains and beaches—and whose eggs are

protectively coloured—the Kentish Plover sits lightly, rises from her

eggs as soon as danger is discovered, and evinces but little outward

anxiety for their safety; although, in some instances, the feigning of

lameness has been resorted to, especially when the eggs have been on the

point of hatching. The young birds and their parents form a family party

during the autumn, and apparently migrate southwards in close company.

With the present species we exhaust the number of Limicoline birds that

nest upon the shore in the British Islands. All the other species that

make our sands and mud-flats their winter home, or their place of call

during their spring and autumn migrations, breed away from the actual

beach on marshes and moors and uplands, or do not rear their young at

all within our area. Closely associated with most of these birds are the

fascinating problems of Migration. We miss the feathered hosts from sand

and mud-flat as the spring advances; we note the fleeting appearance of

others along the shore bound to far away northern haunts: and then long

before the first faint signs of autumn are apparent these migrant birds

begin to return, and imbue the wild lone slob-lands and shingles with

life. To and fro with each recurring spring and autumn, the stream of

avine life flows and ebbs; by day and by night the feathery tides press

on, calling forth wonder from the least observant, filling more

thoughtful minds with the complexity and the mystery of it all. We have

not space to deal here with this grand avine movement; but, content with

this passing allusion to it, pass on to a study of the other feathered

dwellers by the sea. (Conf. _p._ 281).

It is rather remarkable how few species of Limicoline birds breed on the

British coast-line. Not a single Sandpiper nor Snipe does so, and but

two or three Plovers, as we have already seen. So far as summer is

concerned, these wading birds cannot be regarded as a very remarkable

feature of avine life upon the coast; and it is, doubtless, because they

are so little known to the majority of seaside visitors, that they

appeal so much less to the popular mind than the more ubiquitous Gulls.

But from September onwards to the following spring, Plovers and

Sandpipers are the most prominent characteristics of all the more

low-lying coasts. We will briefly glance at those species that not only

frequent such situations regularly every season, but occur in sufficient

numbers to place them beyond the category of abnormal visitors, or

storm-driven wanderers from their natural haunts.

GOLDEN PLOVER.

This species, the _Charadrius pluvialis_ of ornithologists, is, from the

regularity of its appearance and its great abundance, known almost

everywhere as _the_ Plover of the coast. It derives its trivial name

from the profusion of golden yellow drop-like spots which adorn its

upper plumage, and may always be distinguished from allied species by

its barred tail feathers and white axillaries. Large flights of Golden

Plover begin to appear on our low-lying coasts in September, and through

October and November the number steadily increases. Many of these birds

simply pass along our shore-line to haunts in the Mediterranean basin,

but many linger thereon through the winter. One of the great haunts of

this Plover is along the shores of the Wash—that vast area of mud, and

sand, and salt-marsh, which extends for miles in drear monotony, only

enlivened and made endurable by the hordes of wild fowl that congregate

upon its treacherous surface. Here, at the end of October, or during the

first week in November, the migration of the Golden Plover can be

observed in all its strength. Day after day, night after night, I have

remarked the passage of this bird, in almost one unbroken stream, flock

succeeding flock, so quickly as to form a nearly continuous throng. Upon

the sands this Plover often associates with Dunlins, Gray Plovers,

Lapwings, and other waders. Great numbers are, or used to be, shot or

netted in this district, and sent to inland markets, for their flesh is

justly esteemed for its delicacy, ranked by some as second only to that

of the Woodcock. Golden Plovers feed and move about a good deal at

night, especially by moonlight. Their food, during winter at least,

consists of sand-worms and hoppers, molluscs, small seeds, and so on.

The whistle of this Plover is one of the most attractive sounds of the

mud-flats and salt-marshes. It may, under suitable atmospheric

conditions, be heard for a long distance across the wastes, and sounds

something like _klee-wee_, occasionally prolonged into _klee-ee-wee_.

This note is uttered both while the bird is on the ground and in the

air. In the pairing season it is run out into a trill. The movements of

the Golden Plover during winter are largely regulated by the weather,

and I have known it desert a district entirely, or become very restless

and unsettled, just previous to a storm.

In spring the sea coasts are deserted, and the Golden Plover retires to

its breeding-grounds. These, in our islands, are situated on the upland

moors and mountain plateaux. The nest, invariably made upon the ground,

is often placed on a hassock of coarse herbage, or on a tuft of cotton

grass, and consists merely of a hollow, lined with a few bits of

withered grass or dead leaves. The eggs are four in number, buff

blotched and spotted with various shades of brown, and more sparingly

with gray. They are much richer and yellower in appearance than those of

the Lapwing, otherwise closely resemble them.

GRAY PLOVER.

This handsome bird, generically separated by many ornithologists from

the preceding, on account of its possessing a minute and entirely

functionless hind toe, is the _Vanellus helveticus_ of Brisson, and the

_Charadrius helveticus_ of writers who ignore the genus _Squatarola_,

founded by Leach on the above-named trivial and, all things considered,

utterly inadequate character. The Gray Plover is the first species we

have considered in the present work that does not breed in the British

Islands. Many birds of this species only pass our coast on migration in

going to, and returning from, their Arctic breeding-grounds, but a fair

number linger upon them throughout the winter. The Gray Plover may be

readily distinguished from the preceding, as well as from all other

allied forms, by the presence of a rudimentary hind toe, and by its

_black_ axillaries. In its seasonal changes of plumage it closely

resembles its ally. In the adult plumage, however, it never exhibits any

of the yellow, drop-like, spots on the upper parts, so characteristic of

that bird in every feather stage of its existence. Gray Plovers begin to

arrive on the British coasts as early as August, and the migration

continues with increasing strength until October or November. Such

individuals as pass our islands for more southern haunts return along

the British coasts during May and June. During its sojourn with us, the

Gray Plover confines itself almost entirely to the mud-flats and salt

marshes. It does not gather into such large companies as the Golden

Plover—but this may be due, perhaps, to its smaller numbers—and is often

seen in pairs or small parties, whilst odd birds will occasionally

attach themselves to flocks of Knots and Dunlins. In its habits

generally, in its flight, and in its food, it closely resembles its

commoner and better known ally. The note uttered whilst the bird lives

upon our coasts resembles that of the Golden Plover.

The breeding-grounds of the Gray Plover are on the tundras and barren

grounds in the Arctic regions of the Old and New Worlds, above the

limits of forest growth. The nest is always made upon the ground, and is

merely a slight hollow, lined with a few scraps of withered herbage. The

four eggs very closely resemble those of the Lapwing, but are not quite

so olive. When once flushed from the nest the Gray Plover becomes very

wary and restless, and does not return for some time; should the young

be hatched various alluring antics are indulged in to withdraw attention

from them.

LAPWING.

This bird is the typical species of Brisson’s genus _Vanellus_, and is

known to most naturalists as _Vanellus cristatus_ or _vulgaris_. It

cannot easily be confused with any other British bird, and is readily

identified by its long conspicuous crest, metallic green, suffused with

purple upper parts, and bright chestnut upper and under tail coverts.

Further, its appearance in the air, so far as British Limicoline birds

are concerned, is unique; the curiously rounded wings, and deliberate

Heron-like flight, together with the peculiar note, make the matter of

its identification easy to the veriest tyro in ornithology. The Lapwing

is also not only the commonest of its order found in Britain, but

certainly the most widely dispersed. Nevertheless, it is only during the

non-breeding season that the Lapwing can fairly be described as a marine

bird. From March onwards to the early autumn it retires to inland moors,

pastures, and rough undrained lands to breed, returning coastwards again

when the young are reared, especially from the more exposed and elevated

localities. The favourite marine haunts of the “Green Plover,” or

Peewit, as this bird is otherwise called, are rough saltings, mud-flats,

and slob-lands; sands and shingles it rarely visits unless when driven

to do so by heavy snowfalls; and at all times it prefers ground

overgrown with herbage to the bare beaches. As this species presents

little difference between summer and winter plumage, means for

concealment may have some influence in its choice of haunt. When

standing or running on the ground the Lapwing is a very ordinary looking

bird; graceful enough, it is true; but the moment it rises into the air

the observer is struck with the singularity of its appearance; the broad

and rounded wings are unfolded and moved in a slow flapping Owl-like

manner; very often grotesque evolutions are indulged in, the bird rising

and swooping down again, turning and twisting in a most erratic way, and

all the time persistently uttering the wild, mewing, plaintive cry that

is absolutely characteristic of this Plover—an unmistakable and unique

note among birds. It may be expressed on paper as a nasal _pee-weet_,

frequently modulated into _weet-a-weet_, _pee-weet-weet_.

As the autumn days draw on the Lapwing becomes more gregarious, often

forming into flocks of enormous size, which wander about a good deal as

the varying weather affects their supply of food. This, in winter,

consists chiefly of worms, grubs, molluscs, crustaceans, and other small

marine creatures; in summer, seeds, shoots of herbage, and various

ground fruits and berries are added. The Lapwing in its movements on the

ground is light and elegant, running and walking well, standing high

upon its legs, but it seldom seems to wade, and never, so far as I know,

attempts to swim under any normal circumstances. Great numbers of

Lapwings are killed for the table, but the flesh cannot be compared with

that of the Golden Plover, being not only dark in appearance, but

unpleasant in taste, especially after the birds have resided long in

littoral haunts.

The Lapwing at the approach of spring retires inland to breed, visiting

for the purpose moors, rough lands, water meadows, pastures, and grain

fields. The nesting habits of this species are certainly better known

than those of any other member of the Plover tribe, at least, as far as

British birds are concerned. Every person at all familiar with the

common objects of the country, knows the nest of the Lapwing, and must

time and again have been amused with the bird’s erratic behaviour, as

its breeding grounds are invaded by human intruders. The nest is always

made upon the ground, generally in a hollow of some kind, often in the

footprints of cattle and horses. Sometimes it is cunningly hidden

beneath a tuft of rushes or hassock of sedge and grass; whilst the

summit of a mole-hill is not rarely chosen. The hollow is lined with a

few bits of the dry and withered surrounding herbage; and in many cases

even this slight provision is omitted. The four eggs (five have been

recorded!) very like pears in shape, are buffish-brown or pale olive in

ground colour, handsomely blotched and spotted, especially on the larger

half, with blackish-brown, paler brown, and gray. If the flesh of the

Lapwing is not held in very high repute its eggs make ample amends for

the deficiency. Vast numbers are systematically gathered for the table;

and as the birds will replace their stolen eggs again and again, the

harvest may be prolonged over several weeks. The first eggs are laid in

April; in more northern localities not before May. In the early days of

the Plover egg season, these commodities frequently realise as much as

twelve shillings per dozen, and are a source of profit to many a dweller

in country districts. Dogs are sometimes trained to search for them.

When the young are hatched the Lapwing displays many curious tricks to

lure enemies from them, feigning death or broken wings, or swooping with

loud cries to and fro.

TURNSTONE.

It is rather a remarkable fact that this species, the _Strepsilas

interpres_ of naturalists, does not breed in the British Islands. Some

naturalists have suspected that it does so on the Hebrides, and it has

been said to nest on the Channel Islands, but no direct proof has yet

been obtained. Under exceptional circumstances the Turnstone may be met

with inland, especially during the season of its migrations, but

otherwise it is strictly a coast-bird, as much so as the Oyster-catcher,

and rears its young upon the shore. This somewhat singular bird is met

with on the British coasts, most commonly during its passage north or

south, comparatively few individuals remaining upon them for the winter.

The Turnstone cannot readily be confused with any other coast bird, its

mottled black and chestnut upper parts, black throat and breast, and

white belly, being very distinctive. The wings and tail during flight

exhibit a good deal of white upon them. Turnstones, chiefly young birds,

begin to arrive on the British coasts at the end of July, and the

migration of the species continues through August and September; the

return passage in spring may be remarked towards the end of April, and

lasts for about a month. Mud-flats, slob-lands, and salt-marshes are not

frequented much by the Turnstone; it always prefers the low rocky

coasts, and seems specially fond of haunting rocks and islands. Social

to a great extent in summer, in winter this bird is more or less

gregarious; but many odd individuals attach themselves to parties of

other shore-frequenting species. An example now lying before me was shot

from the company of Common Sandpipers. The Turnstone is a restless

little creature, ever on the run in quest of food. It may be watched

hunting about the beaches, or running amongst pebbles, and over the

piles of drifted rubbish that the tide washes up in a long irregular

line along the shore. In watching the actions of this bird, the observer

cannot fail to remark its singular habit of turning over shells and

other objects, in quest of the small marine creatures that lurk under

them, with its conical shaped beak, and perhaps occasionally with its

breast as well. This peculiarity has gained for the Turnstone its

trivial name. Not only does it run about the sand and rocks, but it

frequently wades, and has even been seen to swim just outside the line

of breakers, rising from time to time, flying a little way and then

settling upon the water again. The flight of this bird is not very

rapid, and generally taken close to the ground; its note is a shrill

whistle, resembling the syllable _keet_. During the love season this

note is run into a rapid trill. The food of the Turnstone is composed of

sand-worms, crustaceans, molluscs, and other small marine animals.

The Turnstone changes its haunts but little during the breeding season.

It rears its young on the beaches or on rocky islets, placing its nest

amongst the scanty marine herbage, beneath the shelter of a tuft of

grass or a little bush. This is merely a hollow lined with a few bits of

dry grass or other vegetation. The four eggs are olive-green or pale

buff in ground colour, blotched, spotted, and clouded with olive-brown,

dark reddish-brown, and violet-gray. But one brood is reared in the

year, and the eggs are laid in June. As soon as the young are able to

fly the movement south begins. The Turnstone breeds throughout the

northern parts of the Nearctic and Palæarctic regions, as far as land is

known to extend. Its nearest breeding stations to the British Islands

are in Denmark, on some of the Baltic Islands, and in Iceland. During

winter it visits the coasts of almost every part of the world, south of

the Arctic circle.

PHALAROPES.

But three species of the genus _Phalaropus_ are known, and two of these

are British birds, one of them the Red-necked Phalarope, _P.

hyperboreus_, breeding very sparingly and locally within our limits, the

other the Gray Phalarope, _P. fulicarius_, a more or less regular

visitor to our coasts in autumn and winter. From many points of view the

Phalaropes are very interesting birds. They are distinguished from all

other Limicoline forms by the structure of the feet, which are lobed

like those of the Coot—a peculiarity which induced Edwards, in 1741, to

describe a Phalarope as the “Coot-footed Tringa.” They are by far the

most aquatic of the Charadriidæ, swimming as readily as Gulls or Ducks,

and often going for hundreds of miles out on to the open sea; indeed

they spend most of their time upon the water, only visiting land for any

lengthened period during the breeding season.

There can be little doubt that the Gray Phalarope is a more abundant

visitor to British waters, in autumn and winter, than is generally

supposed. It has little reason to visit land at all at such a season,

unless driven towards it by exceptionally severe weather. Occasionally,

however, this Phalarope has occurred on our coasts in great numbers,

something similar to the visitations of Sand Grouse, with which

doubtless most readers are familiar. The autumn of 1866 is specially

famous for a great “rush” of Gray Phalaropes to the British seas and

coasts, and it is estimated that upwards of 500 were caught, of which

large number nearly half occurred in Sussex! The most recent irruption

of Gray Phalaropes was in 1886. The Gray Phalarope lives almost entirely

out at sea, after the breeding season is over, wandering immense

distances from land, and even accompanying whales, for the sake of

catching the various small marine creatures disturbed by the “blowing”

of those mighty animals—hence to the sailor it is often known as the

“Whale Bird.” So hardy is this little bird, that it has been watched

swimming about amongst icebergs far from land. It swims lightly and

buoyantly as a foam fleck, with a peculiar bobbing motion of the head,

but it is not known to dive. It apparently flies with reluctance, always

preferring to swim out of danger. Its food principally consists of

insects, but crustaceans, worms, and scraps of vegetable substances are

eaten. The call note of this Phalarope is described as a shrill _weet_,

and the alarm note, heard most frequently during flight, as a rapidly

repeated _bick-abick-a_.

The Gray Phalarope is not known to breed anywhere on continental Europe,

but does so in Spitzbergen, in Iceland, Greenland, and probably

throughout all suitable parts of Arctic America and Asia, as far north

as land extends. In winter it is very widely dispersed, even wandering

as far as New Zealand. The Gray Phalarope is one of those species that

change greatly in the colour of their plumage according to season. In

winter dress—the plumage perhaps most familiar to British observers—the

back is gray, and the under parts pure white; but in summer the whole of

the latter are rich bright bay, and the feathers of the upper parts are

dark brown with pale reddish-brown margins. In this plumage it is known

as the Red Phalarope. Another interesting fact is that the female is

much more brightly and richly coloured than the male, and the latter not

only performs the duty of incubating the eggs, but takes the greater

share in tending upon the young! It may thus be inferred that the

pairing habits of this Phalarope are most singular, the female

conducting the courtship! The Gray Phalarope remains practically

gregarious throughout the year, breeding in colonies of varying size.

Its favourite nesting-places are beside the marshy pools and lakes on

the tundras, at no great distance from the Arctic Ocean. The nest is

made upon the ground, and consists of a mere hollow in the moss or

lichen, lined with a few dry leaves and grasses. The four pyriform eggs

are pale buff, tinged with olive, blotched and spotted with dark brown

and paler brown. At the nest the old Phalaropes are remarkably tame and

confiding, showing little fear of man, but when the young are hatched

often trying to delude him away by various deceptive antics. As soon as

the young are sufficiently matured, the nesting-places are deserted, and

young and old repair to the sea for the remainder of the year.

The second British species, the Red-necked Phalarope, is scarcely less

known to the majority of people than the Gray Phalarope. It seldom

visits the land except for breeding purposes, and as its nesting-places

in our area are not only few, but in the remotest part of it,

opportunities for observing its habits are few and fitful. It is a

summer visitor to certain parts of the Outer Hebrides, to the Orkneys,

and the Shetlands. Outside our limits its range is very extensive. It

breeds in suitable localities throughout the Arctic regions of the New

and Old Worlds, above the limits of forest growth; in winter it wanders

far southwards, and is then found on the coasts of Europe, Southern

Asia, Mexico, and Central America. Like the preceding species it is

thoroughly marine in its choice of a haunt, but does not appear to

wander for such great distances from land. It is just as tame and

confiding, just as social in summer, and as gregarious in winter. It

swims equally as well and buoyantly, with the same peculiar bobbing

motion; whilst on the land it is able to run and walk with ease. It

exhibits the same reluctance to take wing, preferring to retreat from

danger by swimming, although it flies on occasion quickly and well. Its

food is very similar, and its note is a shrill but rather low _weet_. As

Professor Newton has remarked, both this and the preceding species of

Phalarope are entrancingly interesting in their habits. “Their graceful

form, their lively colouration, and the confidence with which both are

familiarly displayed in their breeding-quarters can hardly be

exaggerated, and it is equally a delightful sight to watch these birds

gathering their food in the high-running surf, or, when that is done,

peacefully floating outside the breakers.”[2]

So far as concerns Scotland, the breeding season of the Red-necked

Phalarope commences in May, but in more Arctic localities it is deferred

until several weeks later. It returns with unerring regularity to the

old accustomed spots to rear its young. These are on the marshy moors,

beside the pools, at no great distance from the sea. The nest, usually

made on the ground, (in the valley of the Petchora it has been found in

a hassock of coarse grass a foot or more above it), is a mere hollow

lined with a few scraps of dead grass and rush. The four eggs are buff

of various shades, or pale olive, spotted and blotched with amber and

blackish-brown, pale brown and gray. As previously remarked the male

bird incubates them. When disturbed at its breeding grounds, the

Red-necked Phalarope slips off the nest and takes refuge in the water,

manifesting little concern for its safety. As soon as the young are

sufficiently matured, they and their parents resort to the sea, moving

southwards as autumn advances, and for the most part keeping to the

water until another nesting season comes round.

CURLEW.

This species, (_Numenius arquata_), is not only the largest Limicoline

bird that frequents the coast, but also one of the best known. There are

few parts of the shore during autumn and winter where an odd Curlew

cannot be found, whilst in some localities it may be classed as

absolutely common. The Curlew is another of those species that present

little difference between summer and winter plumage, and yet the haunts

it selects in summer differ very considerably from those it seeks in

winter. It is a resident in the British Islands, but its numbers are

very considerably increased in autumn, by migrants from more northern

latitudes. It may be found, as previously inferred, on almost all parts

of the shore, but such beaches where wide expanses of sand, mud, and

broken rocks occur, are specially preferred—as are also salt-marshes and

wet meadows close to the sea. Of all wild fowl the Curlew is one of the

wariest, never allowing a close approach unless stalked with the

greatest care, or surprised in some unusual way, which does not often

happen. In some districts where little beach is exposed during

high-water, the Curlews will retire some distance inland, but return

with remarkable punctuality as soon as the tide begins to ebb. Shingle

banks and islands are also often visited between tides. Curlews when

feeding are very restless birds, running and walking about the beach,

seemingly in a very careless and unsuspecting manner, but sentinels are

ever on the watch to sound the warning note, which sends the big

long-billed speckled birds hurrying away to safer haunts. The Curlew

feeds both by day and by night; and its wild somewhat mournful note,

shrill and far-sounding, _curlee_, _cur-lee_, may repeatedly be heard

during darkness. The flight of this bird is both rapid and well

sustained. Gätke, on evidence which seems absolutely conclusive,

estimates its speed on certain occasions to be not less than a mile a

minute, and possibly very much more! Although the Curlew repeatedly

wades, it is not known to swim under normal circumstances, but has

occasionally been seen to perch in a tree. All through the autumn and

winter the Curlew continues gregarious. It migrates in vast flocks, and

frequently associates with other wild fowl, although it may be that

these other and smaller species seek its company to profit by its

extraordinary vigilance. Sand-worms, crustaceans, and molluscs form its

principal food whilst living on the coast, but in summer, at its

breeding-grounds, worms, grubs, insects, ground fruits, and berries are

eaten. The European form of the Curlew is pretty generally distributed

over the western half of the Palæarctic region, and in winter is found

throughout Africa.

The Curlew begins to leave the coast for more or less inland haunts in

March, scattering over most of our swampy moorlands and rough higher

grounds to breed. The eggs are laid during April and May. The nest is

invariably made upon the ground, and consists merely of a shallow

cavity, lined with a few bits of withered herbage or dead leaves.

Numbers of pairs often nest within a comparatively small area of

suitable ground, and should one pair be disturbed, the entire community

is soon thrown into a state of alarm. The four eggs of the Curlew vary

from olive-green to buff, blotched and spotted with olive-brown and pale

gray. The Curlew begins to wander coastwards as soon as the young are

reared. By far the majority seen first are young birds, and these arrive

from the middle of July onwards.

WHIMBREL.

This species—which is the _Numenius phæopus_ of systematists—is best

known on the British coasts during its annual migrations, passing our

islands so regularly that it has received the name of “May Bird.” On the

Lincolnshire coast, as well as in many other districts, the Whimbrel is

almost universally known as the “Jack-Curlew.” During its seasonal

movements it visits most parts of the British coast-line, but mud-flats,

salt-marshes, estuaries, and extensive reaches of sand, are the most

favoured localities. Its habits are very similar to those of the

Curlew—a bird which it somewhat closely resembles in general appearance,

although it is much smaller. It is also a less wary bird, especially

upon its arrival; much stalking, however, soon teaches it shyness.

Perhaps the Whimbrel is not so often seen on the actual beach as the

Curlew; it seems to prefer to resort to slob-lands, and swampy meadows

adjoining the beach. It not only wades, but is said even to swim

occasionally, and is fond of bathing, throwing the water over itself as

it stands breast-high in the sea. In autumn and winter the Whimbrel is

certainly gregarious, but its gatherings are never so large on our

coasts as those of the Curlew. This, however, is entirely due to local

causes, for Gätke reports that on the bright warm days of April and May

they pass over Heligoland in successive flocks, at a vast height, and

flying at a tremendous speed. On migration the note of the Whimbrel may

be described as a shrill _hee-hee-hee_. Its food, during its sojourn in

small numbers on the British coasts, consists principally of

crustaceans, sand-worms, and molluscs.

The Whimbrel is a later breeder than the Curlew. During the nesting

season it is one of the most local of our birds, and is only known to

nest on North Ronay—one of the Hebrides—the Orkneys, and the Shetlands.

Its favourite breeding-grounds are the wild moors, at no great distance

from the sea. Although not gregarious during summer, many pairs often

nest on the same portion of the moors. The nest is made upon the ground,

sometimes amongst heather, or beneath the shelter of a tuft of grass,

and consists of a few bits of withered herbage, arranged carelessly in

some slight hollow. The four eggs are very like those of the Curlew, but

are much smaller. The bird’s actions at the nest are very similar to

those of the preceding species. Outside the British limits, the breeding

range of the typical Whimbrel reaches from Iceland and the Faröes,

across Arctic Europe, whilst its winter home is in Africa.

GODWITS.

These birds rank amongst the rarest and most local of the British

species of Limicolæ, so that little more than a passing allusion to them

is necessary in a work of the present character. One of them, the

Black-tailed Godwit, _Limosa melanura_, formerly known as the “Yarwhelp”

or “Barker,” used to breed regularly in some of the eastern counties of

England, but for nearly fifty years now it has not been known to do so.

The reclamation of its fenland haunts, and the practice of netting it

during the breeding season, have probably been the chief causes of its

extirpation. A few birds still continue to appear on our coasts,

especially on the vast mud-flats and salt-marshes of East Anglia, during

their annual migrations, and a few remain to winter. Outside our limits

it nests in Iceland and the Faröes, and in Scandinavia; but its chief

breeding-area extends across Europe, from Holland to the south of

Russia. In winter it draws southwards, visiting the Mediterranean basin

and parts of Africa. The Black-tailed Godwit appears on the British

coasts on passage, during April and May, the return journey beginning in

August, and lasting for about a month. In its habits it is very like the

Curlew, picking up its food on the muds and marshes, walking

deliberately to and fro, wading through the shallows, and sometimes

standing in the water breast-high to sleep. Whilst on actual migration

it is a restless bird, continually shifting its ground, but later in the

year it becomes more settled, and will visit certain spots to feed with

great regularity. Its food, whilst on our coasts, consists of insects

(especially beetles), worms, crustaceans, and molluscs. Its call-note is

a loud and shrill _tyii-it_. This Godwit breeds in May, making a slight

nest on the ground, concealed amongst herbage, in which it lays four

pyriform eggs, olive-brown, spotted with darker brown and gray.

The second and smaller species, the Bar-tailed Godwit, _Limora rufa_, is

certainly the best known, and by far the most abundant. So far as my

observations extend, this Godwit occurs in greatest numbers on the

mud-flats and salt-marshes of the Wash, where it is known in some places

as the “Scamell.” There it is often taken in the flight-nets, and it is

a well-known bird to the gunners of the coast. This Godwit passes along

the British seaboard towards the end of April, and early in May,

returning from the end of August up to the first week in November.

According to Professor Newton the 12th of May is known as “Godwit day”

on the south coast of England, because about that date large flocks of

this bird arrive thereon, on their passage north. Whilst with us its

habits are much the same as those of the preceding species. It is

gregarious throughout the winter, and often associates with other

shore-haunting birds. Both these Godwits are readily distinguished from

other Limicoline species on the British coasts by their long and

recurved bills. They also present much diversity between summer and

winter plumage. The most marked difference is seen in the colour of the

underparts, which the present species changes from white in winter to

rich chestnut in summer, whilst in the Black-tailed Godwit the chestnut

characteristic of the breeding season is confined to the neck and

breast. It is only in summer plumage that the tail of the Bar-tailed

Godwit is barred; in winter it is uniform ash-brown. Upon its first

arrival on our shores the Bar-tailed Godwit is often remarkably tame,

admitting a close approach. It is very fond of frequenting the creeks

and dykes that intersect the salt-marshes and muds, and during high

water often goes inland a little way to wait for the ebb. The food of

this Godwit consists of worms, crustaceans, molluscs, and similar marine

creatures. The note resembles the syllables _kyă-kyă-kyă_, often very

persistently repeated as the birds fly up and down the coast. In its

quest for food it frequently wades, but never swims nor dives, unless

wounded.

But little is known respecting the nidification of the Bar-tailed

Godwit, and its eggs, very rare in collections, have hitherto only been

obtained in Lapland. These so closely resemble those of the preceding

species, that no known point of distinction can be given.

REDSHANK.

During the greater part of the year this species—the _Totanus calidris_

of modern naturalists—resides upon the coasts, retiring to more or less

inland districts to breed. There are few prettier and more graceful

birds along the shore than the Redshank, distinguished by its long

orange-red legs, and white lower back, rump, and secondaries—the latter

marbled with brown at the base. In the breeding season the grayish-brown

upper plumage, and the white breast characteristic of winter, are

mottled with rich dark brown. In autumn our resident Redshanks are

largely increased in numbers by migratory individuals from more

northerly latitudes; many of these pass on to winter quarters further

south, but many others remain with us for the winter. Sociable at all

times, and freely consorting with other Limicoline species on the coast,

in winter, especially, the Redshank becomes very gregarious. Its

favourite haunts are mud-flats and salt-marshes, and it is here that the

largest flocks congregate, but many odd birds frequent coasts of a more

rocky character. Redshanks are sprightly, restless birds, almost

constantly in motion when on the feed, and scattering far and wide,

running to and fro with dainty action, wading through the little pools,

and even occasionally swimming the shallows between one mud-bank and

another. They are ever alert, and take wing as soon as danger threatens,

the scattered flock soon forming into a compact mass again. Between the

tides Redshanks often collect on some mud-bank, where in a serried

throng they keep up a confused babel of subdued cries, as if all were

talking and none listening. Its flight is rapid and most unsteady

looking—the black and white wings producing an idea of irregularity

which is more imaginary than real. Upon the coast the Redshank feeds on

sand-worms, crustaceans, molluscs, and such like marine creatures, but

during summer at its breeding-grounds, worms, insects, ground-fruits and

berries are among the substances sought. The call note of this wader is

a loud shrill _tyü-tyü_ most persistently repeated when the bird is

excited or alarmed; whilst during the pairing season the love song or

trill is happily described by Professor Newton—who has had exceptional

opportunities for observing this species—as a constantly repeated

_leero-leero-leero_, accompanied with many gesticulations, as he hovers

in attendance on the flight of his mate; “or with a slight change to a

different key, engages with a rival; or again, half angrily and half

piteously, complains of a human intruder on his chosen ground.”[3]

The Redshank breeds somewhat locally in the marshy districts of our

islands, perhaps most commonly in the low-lying eastern counties of

England, and in Scotland. It is one of the earliest waders to quit the

coast in spring, and to retire to its nesting places, which are fen and

marsh lands, swampy moors, and the boggy shores of lochs and tarns.

Numbers of nests may be found within a small area of suitable ground,

and certain spots appear to be visited annually for breeding purposes,

in some cases even after the district, by reclamation, has lost its

original marshy character. The nest is slight, but usually well

concealed, often beneath the shade of a tuft of grass or other herbage,

or in a hassock of sedge or under a little bush or tall weed. It

consists of a mere hollow scantily lined with a few bits of withered

grass or leaves. The four eggs are very pyriform in shape, and vary from

pale buff to dark buff, handsomely and boldly blotched and spotted with

rich dark brown, paler brown and gray. When disturbed the old birds

become very noisy and excited, careering wildly to and fro, and should

the young be hatched they become even more demonstrative, and by various

antics seek to decoy an intruder away. A return to the coast is made as

soon as the young are sufficiently matured. Many eggs of this bird are

gathered and sold as “Plover’s eggs.”

SANDERLING.

During the period of its spring and autumn migrations—especially the

latter—this pretty little bird, the _Tringa arenaria_ of ornithologists

who ignore the genus _Calidris_, named first by Cuvier in 1800, and

formally founded eleven years later by Illiger, established as it is on

such a trivial character (all things considered) as the absence of a

minute and functionless hind toe—is one of the commonest and most widely

distributed of Limicoline birds. Comparatively few individuals remain on

our coast to winter, and these collect more especially on the southern

beaches. In winter plumage—the dress in which it is most familiar to

British observers—the Sanderling is a delicate silvery-gray above and

pure white below; but in the breeding season, although the underparts

remain unchanged in colour, the upper parts become mottled with chestnut

and black. Comparatively few Sanderlings reach the British coasts before

August, and the southward migration continues during September. By the

middle of the latter month the bulk of the individuals has passed beyond

our limits; by the end of October but few remain, although some of these

prolong their stay over the winter. The return migration begins in

April, and lasts over May into June. There can be little doubt that the

Sanderling migrates by night. Few birds are more trustful and engaging

than this pretty little Arctic stranger. It not only frequents the long

reaches of sand, but mud-flats, estuaries, and the creeks and streams in

salt-marshes; its favourite haunts, however, are the sands. During its

sojourn on our coast it consorts in flocks of varying size; and very

frequently a small party attach themselves to a larger gathering of

Dunlins, or Ringed Plovers. Indeed for the society of the latter birds

the Sanderling shows a strongly marked preference. We may safely say

that, during the migration period, most large bunches of Ringed Plovers

contain a varying number of Sanderlings. Its actions on the sand are

very similar to those of the Ringed Plover, but it does not appear ever

to run in such fits and starts, searching the ground more

systematically, after the manner of a Stint or a Dunlin. During high

water the Sanderling very often resorts to the higher shingle, and

skulks amongst the pebbles, sometimes remaining unseen until nearly

trodden upon, so closely does its white and gray dress resemble the

stones among which it nestles. Upon the dark muds and the wet shining

brown sands it is much more conspicuous; and there are few prettier

sights along the shore than a scattered flock of Sanderlings, standing

head towards the observer, looking like so many white balls of animated

snow. It searches for its food by running to and fro about the beach,

often on the very margin of the spent waves, sometimes wading through

the shallows, or quickly dodging the foam-flecked in-driving surf. Its

food consists of sand-worms, crustaceans, various insects and great

quantities of small molluscs. In summer, however, it is almost

exclusively insectivorous, but also feeds on the buds of the Arctic

saxifrages. The note of this bird during its sojourn on our coasts is a

shrill _whit_, but this is not very frequently or persistently uttered.

During winter the Sanderling is a great wanderer, visiting parts of

Africa, Southern Asia, Australia, and South America, but in the breeding

season its range seems confined to the Arctic regions. But very little

is known of the nesting habits of the Sanderling, and few of its eggs

are in collections. It is said to arrive at its Arctic haunts in May or

early June, as soon as the water is free from ice, and the ground bare

of snow. Its nesting haunts are the barren grounds and tundras near, and

the beaches of, the Arctic Ocean. The nest is a mere hollow, scantily

lined with dry grass and leaves, and the four eggs are buffish-olive in

ground colour, mottled and spotted with pale olive-brown and gray.

KNOT.

This species, the _Tringa canutus_ of Linnæus, and most modern

ornithologists, is another of the Arctic migrants that pass the British

coasts regularly on their journeys, and linger here in much smaller

numbers over the winter. Camden, in 1607, appears to have been the first

author to connect the name of the Knot with King Canute, but much

difference of opinion exists as to the reason thereof. Some authorities

assert that it was in connection with the story of that king upon the

seashore; others, and perhaps with greater reason, because of the Royal

Dane’s great liking for its flesh. The bird continued to be so closely

associated with the king by successive writers, that Linnæus followed

them in applying the specific name of _canutus_ to the Knot, which is

still retained by the majority of naturalists.

The migrations of the Knot are very marked and regular. The bird begins

to arrive on the British coasts early in August, and from then to the

end of October a nearly constant stream pours upon them, reaching its

greatest volume in September. By far the greater number pass on to still

more southern haunts, but a sufficiently large portion remain to winter

as to render the species one of the most familiar of Limicoline forms to

habitues of the coast. The return migration begins on our coasts in

April, and continues throughout May. The principal haunts of the Knot in

the British Islands are situated on the eastern and south-eastern

coasts. Mud-flats, salt-marshes, wide, expansive sands, and big

estuaries, are the spots where Knots most do congregate, for these

furnish it with a constant supply of food. Ten years ago, I remember,

great numbers of Knots used to be caught in the flight-nets on the Wash,

during October and November, but the numbers of late years have

considerably decreased. The Knot is not only very gregarious, but

social, and often mixes with companies of other waders. When feeding

Knots keep close together, generally all heading in the same direction,

and moving about quickly. If the flock is a very large one some of the

individuals are almost constantly in the air, flying over the heads of

their companions, and alighting again, as if eager to get the first look

over the ground. They are very wary when congregated in such large

assemblies, easily flushed, and often performing various evolutions,

both over the sands or the water, before alighting again. The Knot more

often runs with a series of short, quick steps than walks, and it flies

both rapidly and well. After feeding, the entire flock will often stand

for a long time on a certain piece of the shore, sleeping and preening

plumage, but even on these occasions they are somewhat restless, and it

is rare to see all still at once. They feed both by night and by day.

The call-note is seldom or never uttered, although when on migration the

birds appear to be noisy enough, crying incessantly to each other as

they fly along in the gloom.

But little is known of the nesting economy of the Knot. Its great

breeding grounds—the nesting places of the vast flocks that pass

southwards in autumn—still remain undiscovered. Where they are situated

it is useless to speculate. Naturalists are ignorant of its eggs, which

still remain unknown in collections, although the young in down have

been obtained. The Knot breeds in the high Arctic regions, in the North

Polar Basin, mostly, if not entirely above lat. 80°; and here it has

been met with during summer by various travellers. The Knot is another

bird remarkable for the great seasonal changes which its plumage

undergoes. In winter, the plumage is ash-gray above, white below; in

summer, the feathers of the upper parts become black margined with

reddish-brown and mixed with white, those of the lower parts rich bay or

chestnut. It has been remarked that the birds that winter on our coasts

do not assume such rich tints in summer as individuals that pass along

our coasts from more southern latitudes. This is probably because the

birds wintering with us are younger individuals, only the oldest

penetrating to the remoter winter home. The Knot has a wide distribution

during winter, including the Southern States, and Mexico, Africa, and it

is said Australia, and New Zealand! It is possible that in the latter

countries the Eastern Knot—the _Tringa crassirostris_ of science—is

confused with the present species.

CURLEW SANDPIPER.

This pretty little species, known to many as the “Pygmy Curlew,” and to

modern naturalists by the scientific name of _Tringa subarquata_, is one

of the rarest of the British Limicolæ. It very closely resembles the

Knot in the colour of its plumage, and in the seasonal changes that

plumage undergoes, but it is not much more than three-fourths the size,

and has a curved Curlew-like bill. This little Sandpiper, like most of

its order, is a migrant, breeding in some yet undiscovered part of the

Arctic regions, retiring southwards to winter in Africa, various parts

of southern Asia and in Australia. It is during these journeys between

the Arctic regions and the tropics that it occurs on the British coasts,

a few individuals even remaining upon them all the winter through. As

might naturally be expected it is most frequently observed on the vast

stretches of low coast on the eastern side of England; it is also a

tolerably frequent visitor to the south coast, even as far westwards as

Devon and Cornwall. A few Curlew Sandpipers arrive on our coasts in

April, but the greater number pass along them in May, stragglers

lingering until June. The return flight is noticed in August, and

consists mostly of young birds, the older ones reaching us during

September and October. The habits of this Sandpiper very closely

resemble those of the Dunlin, in whose company the bird is very

frequently found, and from which it may readily be distinguished, even

at a distance, by its pure white upper tail-coverts. It prefers coasts

of a muddy rather than a sandy character, haunting saltings, estuaries,

and muds. Here, its actions are much the same as those of all these

little sand birds; it feeds both by day and night; and often retires

during high water to some wet land near the sea, to wait the ebb. The

food of this species consists of crustaceans, worms, molluscs, and

insects. Its note is described as being louder than that of the Dunlin.

Absolutely nothing is known of the nidification of the Curlew Sandpiper,

and its egg has never yet been described. It is, to say the least,

remarkable that some of the great breeding-places of these Arctic birds

have not yet been discovered—a fact that seems to suggest a vast area of

land somewhere in the vicinity of the Pole.

DUNLIN.

Owing to the great seasonal changes of plumage which this Sandpiper—the

_Tringa alpina_ of most naturalists—undergoes, considerable confusion

has prevailed concerning it. Linnæus described birds of this species in

summer plumage as distinct from individuals in winter plumage, naming

them _alpina_ and _cinclus_; but Temminck (and before him B. Meyer) with

greater discernment united both under the name of _T. variabilis_. Birds

in the two plumages have also received distinctive colloquial names; in

summer dress, the bird is known as “Dunlin,” in winter dress as the

“Purre.” Other local names of wide application to this species are

“Ox-bird,” “Stint,” and “Plover’s Page,” the latter being derived from

the habit of the Dunlin to accompany a Golden Plover, flying to and fro

over the moors, where the two species chance to be nesting. Perhaps the

Wryneck has in like manner, gained the name of “Cuckoo’s Mate” from its

habit of flying in attendance with that bird; although some writers

attribute the term to the fact of the two species appearing in our

country about the same time.

The Dunlin is absolutely the commonest Limicoline bird of the shore, and

certainly the most widely dispersed. It possesses the habit, in common

with so many other species of this order, of retiring to moors to breed;

but as soon as nesting duties are done it returns to the coast, and for

the remainder of the year continues to reside upon it. The Dunlins that

breed in our islands represent but a very small portion of the vast

number that winter on the British coasts. The majority of these are from

more northern haunts, winter migrants, that haste away again with the

return of spring. During its residence on the coast the Dunlin is

remarkably gregarious, assembling often in flocks of thousands, which,

by preference seek such portions of the shore as are low-lying and

muddy. Salt-marshes, slob-lands, estuaries and creeks, and vast expanses

of mud—as the Wash for instance, are the favourite haunts of the Dunlin.

These large flocks of Dunlins are much more difficult to approach than

smaller gatherings or individual birds. Dunlins are active little birds,

almost incessantly in motion, running daintily about the muds, by the

margin of the waves, or wading through the shallow tide pools. During

the course of feeding a large flock will become widely scattered, and it

is remarkable how quickly the broken ranks reform. There are few sights

so pretty along the salt-marshes and mud-flats than a large flock of

Dunlins, in the act of performing those graceful aerial movements so

characteristic of this little bird during its winter sojourn upon the

coast. The whole flock, as with a single impulse, will spread out like a

net, close up again, apparently vanish, appear black, or like a flash of

silver, just as the birds turn and expose their dark or white plumage to

the light. Sometimes the flock will head straight away down the coast,

passing the observer with a rush and whirr of wings, and a chorus of

_purring_ cries; at other times a large flock will rise _en masse_ from

the muds, pass out to sea a little way, turn, and go some distance along

the shore, come back again, repeating the movement time after time, ever

and anon appearing as though about to alight, dipping and rising with

marvellous regularity. No doubt these movements will recall to the

observer the gyrations of the autumn flocks of Starlings, for there is

much in common between the two. During its sojourn upon the coast the

Dunlin feeds upon crustaceans, sand-worms, molluscs, and other small

marine organisms; but in summer insects, grubs, worms, and ground-fruits

are eaten. The usual note of the Dunlin is harsh, and resembles the word

_purr_—hence one of the bird’s trivial names; during the breeding season

it is a long drawn _peezh_. In the pairing season, when the male

indulges in certain aerial gambols, he utters a trill, which has been

likened by some observers to the continuous ringing of a small bell.

It is a rather remarkable fact that the Dunlin is the only species of

_Tringa_ that nests in the British Islands. It breeds sparingly and

locally in Cornwall, Devon, and Somerset, perhaps in Wales, and thence

northwards, more generally, over the remainder of England, and in

Scotland up to the Shetlands. Dunlins begin to move from the coasts in

March and April, and to resort to their breeding places, which are

situated on the marshy moorlands and mountain swamps, often at no great

distance from the sea, or at least from tidal waters. The nest is a mere

depression, often in a tussock of grass or rushes, or beneath a small

bush, or even in a patch of thrift on bare sandy soil, lined with a few

scraps of withered vegetation, or enclosed with a few twigs or roots.

The four pyriform eggs are pale olive or pale brown, blotched and

spotted with reddish- and blackish-brown and gray. We remark the same

extraordinary difference between summer and winter plumage, as we have

already observed in the Knot and some others. In summer or breeding

plumage, the Dunlin is rich reddish-brown above, striped with dark

brown; lower breast or gorget, deep black; remainder of under parts

white. In winter the upper parts are chiefly ash-gray, and the under

parts white, except the gorget, which is now grayish-brown. Outside the

British Islands the Dunlin has a very wide distribution, breeding not

only in the Arctic regions of both hemispheres, but in many temperate

latitudes of the same; in winter it is dispersed over North Africa,

Southern Asia, the Southern States of America, and the West Indies. At

Heligoland, flocks of Dunlins invariably indicate bad weather.

PURPLE SANDPIPER.

This species, the _Tringa maritima_ of Brunnich and most modern

naturalists, but erroneously identified with the _T. striata_ of

Linnæus, by certain recent writers on ornithology, is a fairly common

and widely distributed bird on the British coasts during autumn and

winter. The fact that a few odd birds are sometimes met with on our

shores during the summer, has led to the supposition—totally

unsubstantiated as yet—that the Purple Sandpiper may breed here. During

some years this species is much more abundant than others, a fact

perhaps due to exceptionally favourable breeding seasons. The Purple

Sandpiper, readily distinguished from all other British Limicolæ by its

nearly black rump and upper tail coverts, the purple gloss of its upper

plumage, and its yellow legs—makes its appearance with us early in

September, and continues to arrive in increasing numbers during that

month and October, and leaves us by the following May. This Sandpiper is

most partial to a rocky coast, where the huge boulders shelve down into

the water, and large masses of rock and shingle are exposed at low tide.

It may, however, be frequently observed in the company of Knots,

Dunlins, and Ringed Plovers, on the mud-flats and sandy reaches. It

usually seeks for its food close to the water, running over the rocks as

each great wave breaks and retires, even darting into the seething

drifts of surf, or coursing along the very edge of the rollers, where

each one threatens to annihilate it as it breaks upon the shore.

Occasionally it may be seen to swim just outside the surf, and when

flushed it sometimes even alights upon the sea. Its food consists of

crustaceans, sand-worms, molluscs, and insects; and, during summer, of

seeds as well. Although most of this food is obtained whilst the tide is

driving in, the bird may be seen in quest of it at the ebb. It

frequently retires inland a little way, or rests upon a rocky islet or

point, between the ebb and the flow of the tide. Its flight is rapid and

straightforward, and often accompanied by its shrill and quickly uttered

_tee-wit_. The Purple Sandpiper, though social, is never seen on our

coasts in very large flocks, and, perhaps, most frequently in pairs or

alone. In Norway, however, Collett states that it assembles in countless

flocks during the winter. It is certainly one of the least shy of the

Limicolæ, and often permits of a close approach, especially when alone.

The best known breeding-place of the Purple Sandpiper, and one of its

most southerly summer stations, is on the Faröes. Other breeding places

are in Iceland, in Norway, Spitzbergen, and Nova Zembla, and on various

parts of the north Siberian coasts, and in Arctic America to Greenland.

It arrives at its nesting grounds in May or June. These are rarely

situated far from the sea, although in the Faröes it retires to the

fells, where it begins to nest even before the snow has all melted. The

nest is but a shallow depression, scantily lined with scraps of withered

vegetation, and is made either close to the beach on broken ground,

covered with a sparse vegetation, or in some marshy spot on a hill in

the vicinity of the ocean. The Purple Sandpiper may pair for life, as

there is some evidence to show that it returns annually to certain

spots, to breed. The four eggs are pale olive- or buffish-brown,

beautifully blotched and spotted, mottled and streaked with blackish-

and reddish-brown and gray. The sitting bird lingers long upon her nest,

sometimes remaining till almost trodden upon before she starts up, and,

by feigning lameness, seeks to draw the intruder away. So closely is the

Purple Sandpiper attached to the coast, that even during the nesting

season, when its duties call it more or less inland, it always visits

the shore to feed. In summer plumage, the upper parts are marked with

rich chestnut, and in winter dress, the underparts are more spotted.

There are certain other Limicoline birds found upon our coasts, more or

less frequently, which at least deserve some passing notice; but as they

are species that are merely fleeting visitors during their annual

migrations, and never occur in sufficient number to form a dominant

feature in the bird-life of the shore, they do not call for any

lengthened description, or minute study, in a work which seeks only to

sketch the more enduring avine characteristics of the British seaboard.

We will deal with the commonest species first. During the period of its

migrations, the Common Sandpiper, or Summer Snipe (_Totanus hypoleucus_)

is a pretty frequent visitor to the coast, especially in the

south-western parts of England; and there is strong reason to believe

that a limited number may pass the winter thereon. Its habits on the

shore are very similar to those of the other Limicoline species. It

breeds commonly by the side of our inland waters, and is certainly, as

its name implies, the most abundant and the most widely dispersed of the

British waders. Another fairly regular and frequent visitor to the

British littoral in spring and autumn is the Greenshank (_Totanus

glottis_). It is most often met with on the low-lying eastern coasts;

but it is said a few birds winter in Ireland. The Greenshank breeds very

locally in Scotland, and is best known to us at its more or less inland

nesting stations. It may be distinguished by its white lower back and

central upper tail coverts, and nearly uniform gray secondaries. Of even

rarer and more local appearance is the Wood Sandpiper (_Totanus

glareola_), sometimes met with in small parties on our eastern and

southern coasts; whilst the Green Sandpiper (_Totanus ochropus_) is a

less frequent visitor still. This species is remarkable for its peculiar

mode of nesting, for instead of laying its eggs upon the ground—as is

the almost universal custom of birds of this order—it places them in the

deserted nests of other birds in trees. We must also not forget to give

a passing reference to the singular-looking Ruff (_Machetes pugnax_).

Drainage of the fens has long banished the Ruff from its ancestral

haunts, where it was once so common that a regular trade was carried on

in netting and fattening it for the table. The Ruff takes it name from

the singular, yet remarkably beautiful, frill of elongated feathers

that, during the love season, adorns the neck of the male bird. The

extraordinary variation in the colour of this fleeting sexual ornament

can only be described as marvellous, it being almost impossible to find

two birds exactly alike. This sexual development of feather ornament

seems closely associated with the polygamous habits of the Ruff; the

cock bird takes no share in family duties, and during the pairing season

wages endless battles with his rivals for the possession of the hens.

Odd birds frequent our coasts during the migration periods, and less

frequently during the winter. Two species of Stint—the most diminutive

of the Sandpipers—also deserve a brief allusion. The first and most

frequent visitor is the Little Stint (_Tringa minuta_), most numerous on

its autumn passage south. It is chiefly seen on the eastern coast-line,

but is a visitor to the Solway district. The Little Stint breeds in the

Arctic regions of Europe and West Siberia, and is a late migrant in

spring, seldom seen in any numbers on our coasts before May. It

frequents, whilst with us, mud-flats, salt-marshes, and long reaches of

sand, and often joins the Dunlins in quest of food. Its stay with us is

brief, especially in spring, and even in autumn most have gone away

before October. It may be distinguished by its small size (wing under 4

inches in length), tapering bill, and black legs and feet. The second

species, Temminck’s Stint (_Tringa temmincki_), is a larger bird than

the foregoing, and readily distinguished from all other Tringæ by its

white outer tail feathers. It is much rarer in its appearance, too, and,

as usual, most frequent on the low-lying eastern coast-line; even this

district is beyond the more general limits of its migrations. It is also

not so maritime in its haunts, and seems to migrate along more inland

routes.

_Guillemots, Razorbill, and Puffin_

[Illustration: GUILLEMOT AND RAZORBILL. Chapter iii.]