LIMIG0L2E. SCOLOPA ClDM.
Calideis aeenabia- (Linnaeus*).
THE SANDERLING,
XValidris arenaria.
2 0am:bbjes, llliger’h—Beak as long as tba steady stnalgkt,! slender, flexible,
compressed at the base., with thg,",point ^dilated and smooth,_ 'Nostrils Jiasal,
lateral, narrow, longitudinally cleft in the nasal_furrow, which extends to the
smooth point of the beak. Wings of moderate length,' pointed, the first iquill-
feather the longest. Tail of twelve feathers, shgrt, d,oubly emargmate,7 Legs
rather short, naked fer some distance abg.y,e the tarsal joint. Feet with only
three toes, all directed forwapde, with a yery small Connecting membrane at
their base.
The SANDEELiNGfeSrisejtresented by the figure'1 in front in
its summer dress, and by that behind in^tbe'giby plumage
peculiar to winter—is pretty known op ^ o s t of the
sandy shoreg of th;e-seas of Great Britain and Ireland, wjifere
* Tringa Arenaria, Linnaeus, Syet. JÏat, Eil. \2, i *p.',
f Frod|omus,®p. 249
it is usually found, at the edge of the water, in company
with the Dunlin, but is not so plentiful. It ii' also seen
at times associated with the smaller Plovers, which it resembles
in its habits, frequenting the harder parts of the
sandy shore, running or flying with equal ease and rapidity.
Athough occasionally found in the vieinity of large pieces of
fresh water, it is, essentially a frequenter,of sandy localities,
and is seldom to’-be seen upon those soft muddy flats to
which many ether'Sandpipers are so partial.
•^Dwing to the absence - of the hind-toe this species was
formerly ^placed .amongst the Ckaradmida,* but its fight to
be-elassed with th e 8<e&fopaci4(£. is now generally admitted.
It is ih fact ;a Tringa without a hind-tee; •
The Sanderling, on leaving-ite northern breeding-grounds,
arrives bn our coasts-during the last days of July, or-early in
August; and, contrary to the usual rule among- the "Waders,
the early flocks are frequently-composed" o$ 'both* old and
young birds. Throughout 'the autumn 'ft ‘is abundant in
suitable localities along the greater part- of our coasts, but the
majority continue their southward course, and comparatively
few remain on our northern shores during the winter: By
April the return migration commences, and birds in full
breeding-plumage may be observed throughout May, and even
jh->June: a female shot by Saxby on the 10th of the latter
month, containing ova as large as N©7 8 shot. There is not,
however, the slightest evidence that the bird has ever bred in
any part of the British Islands.
In the Eseroes the Sanderling appears to he a somewhat
rare migrant, but in Iceland it-ho-doubt breeds, for an e |||
purchased there in 1858 hy the late Mr. John Wftlley and
Professor Newton, resembles authentic' eggs from other
localities. According to Holboll, the bird was observed hy
Graah on the east coast-of Greenland, hut it is not mentioned
in. his list.' The German,^North-Polar Expedition -under
'■I®apt. Eoldeweyfiiowever, obtained ten of its eggs on Sabine
Island bn the east coast, and on the western side young have
-beentaken atGsodthaab. Dr.Bessels,'jpf the ‘Polaris,’ obtained
Nestlings. in ' 81° 88' N. lat.; and Major Feilden, naturalist