name implies, frequent and obtain their living on the sandy
shores of the sea. These birds generally go in flocks, sometimes
including a considerable number ; and they^are remarkable
for the change of colour, more or less decided, forming
their nuptial dress, or summer plumage, produced by à partial
moult, and also by the assumption of colour, similar to that
of the new feathers, in some parts of those feathers which are
not changed, the birds regaining the colour of the plumage
of winter by thé general moult which takes place in autumn.
One of. the earliest notices of the Curlew Sandpiper, or
Pigmy Curlew, as a British bird, occurs in Boy’s History of
Sandwich, in reference to a specimen shot in that neighbourhood,
and Pennant refers to a second example killed in
August, at Greenwich. This- species was formerly considered
to be a rare visiter to. this country, but probably remained in
some instances undistinguished, when in its winter plumage,
from the Dunlin at the .same season; the beak, howevéîçMs
longer, rather more slender, as well as móre curved'; the legs
longer and thinner, and the bare part abové ithe joint of
greater extent : there is also a constant and marked difference
on the rump and in the upper tail-coVerts, which in thin bird
are in variably white, but in the Dunlin the feathers afong the
central line of the rump and upper tail-coverts are of the
same colour as those of the back, In their decided summer
plumage, and in the various consequent' vernal and autumnal
changes in both, the differences are very obvious, the present
bird changing to red underneath, and the Dunlin to black, as
the illustrations here inserted exhibit.
Therè is reason te believe that a few pairs of this species
occasionally breed in this country; Mr. Gould shot a pair
not far from Sandwich in the perfection of Jheir summer
plumage, during the last week of May 1833. I have obtained
this bird in June in the height of its summer plumage
front Norfolk, and have . seen the young from the Same
locality early in Jydy* Mr. Heysham of Carlisle has also
recorded the occurrence of a very beautiful male in nearly
complete summer plumage,’ which was met with on Rock
Cliff salt-marsh on the 27,th of May 1883 : the stomach contained,
the remains of shrimps and sandhoppers. In the autumn
of 18.34 a considerable. flock frequented the same locality :
the specimens killed were, young birds off the year.
Durlng-aiitumn these birds in small flocks are not uncommon
in various localities. Mr. Thompson' says this species
is a regular summer visitant to Ireland. I t is seen about
thé same period in Cornwall, Devonshire, and Hampshire.
More,than twenty were exposed for sale on the same day in
Leadenliall market in London, in September 1837. It
occurs also during autumn m small flocks in Kent, Norfolk,
Durham, and Northumberland. Sir William Jardine has
met with it in Dumfties-shire, and it has been seen in small
parties on the . shores and rocks of Scotland;
According „td M. Nilsson this species ., visits Sweden,
remaining there, from spring, to autumn, frequenting the
eastern part óf .Scandinavia, but. has not been met with, by
Mr. Danh in the western parts. The Red. Sandpiper of. Pennant’s
Arctic Zoology is this species in its . summer plumage,
•which is there, stated, to visit the shores of the Caspian Sea,
Lake Baikal, and especially the mouth of the Don.
. M.' Temminck says this bird breeds occasionally in Holland,
and that the'eggs ;are yellowish'white,; spotted with
dark brown ; but the birds, are. chiefly seen oh their passage in
'the moré southern parts ; óf .-the European Continent, some
of them remaining in. Sardinia during winter* going northward
in May. The Zoological Society have.- received specie
Thens from Tangiers, where,, however, they are said to he
rare. It inhabits other parts of North Africa, going as far
south as Senegal and even to the Cape.- The Zoological
Society have also, received examples of this bird sent by
2 s 2'