LIMICOLJS. , > . - 8CQL9XAQ&P-MTota.
nc,§ p^cuiBABius. ||§inn8eus*§|
THE ^ T T E ^B ± ^B ® E P E R ^
Totanus madmavms.
T h e S po t t e d S a n d p ip e r , is an American bird, which was
originally included in the British List through n'li'i rrui1 im
the part of Edwards,.-who described b\ \lns jhijik »(• L" i"um
in Nat. Hist.vR p. 141) a Specimen of ,tSCCommon .Sandpiper
obtainSS in Eafe^, fignring%f the rainc time a ggumne
example of the f§Solte<Tl''Suinl|ii]H i limn \ni*.in t. ISiwiiV-v
bird is certainly our Qld World' saacies^ and' &> rare a 3hft-
siderable proportion „ofe the specimens since reVbrebM from
time to tjmn m . Sno tty S|pdipipers, a lo n g .list ol which is
given by Mr. Halting in his. valuable Handbook hf, British
Birds^(p. 189). ’ Ignorance- and self-deception on the part
q! iln o iM u r * n" i< •'p.iri'.rFili' H r .'-i\< i d mI lln lii.i sibu
.of the others,labour under the impi11 item .>1 In m; in mum
examples of the sold
* Ttfm,ga rifiatwlarla, Linnu'us, S^st. Nat. Ed. 7^5-)^
British-killed specimens. Mr. J.. H..Gurney, jun., has taken
a great deal of trouble in the. investigation of the authenticity,
in-both senses^ of the Examples recorded (Rambles ,■ of r a
Naturalist, .ppl 255-26^),'.'and he|has unquestionably disposed
of the-claims ofYthe majority. . The. details, too often
unpleasant, are well worthy-of perusal; - but for the purposes
of- the^present-’wdrkSit will, suffice”*;toi say, without impugning
anyspar-tieular, .record, .that; the following occurrences,, appear
sufficiency,established- to entiftarflie|Spotted- Sandpiper!' to
-retain-itsplaee im the lisf of stfagglers'tb .the British Islands.*
A couple, onp-of w lpch^now in Mr. Gjirnf-y’s possessions
were said Annhalves-been. shot. At-, the Crumble pond>.near
East!&onrne,\ini the ’begdnhahg .of Qptoher, 180B;' and their
anitAcedentsfRoreinvestigation. In August,. 1867, as recorded
by Mr. R., Gray W. of ScptAp. 299.)> two Spotted
Sandpipers, male .and female, presumably shot in the vicinity,
Were deft in. tReifiesh st-tber Museummf Aberdeen; as proved
by'M.ri Aug-us, and Jther.sfomachstlo’f the-birds' were sehtito
My. Gray for dissection’. iThesahtecedents of other examples,
said to. have-been killed in these islands, is less satisfactory.')*
* It has been stated xby>Nilsson, Temminckr Naumann, and
* *T%4o'lJojniig, narrative byMr. 0. M: Adamson *( ‘ Some More Soraps,ab^
Bird--,’ p~. *2*33) may .hp road with advantage by, collectors
specimens Crfeird^one- day -mentionef^tay nie that“ a man- had se.nt' him
»Sin'Siof the Spotted Sandpiper from, hiSineighbouBbood^and-he. asked.me What
^■K tW gbt of them,“ Lgjtj ,ojpe -said Ameriqqgi. This, man, my Mend,"told nie,
tVcjTcain(T"evory summer. 1 1 told* ,iny friend lAg0|j'ld give five ponnds a
|i|e e for theto^’iiypSfly k ille d rif ob&mable. ’ Then fie seemed mclined fp go
overaimself, but-did£hSte .Howaver,J,soine little-^fiae-afterwards he asked me
taA^e.and see afSgg^igd Sandpipe^i;% % th e ; hodj|inJ'itp whieh.kad- been sept
him/ The, « p d e r’wrote statin£he had shot the % d , which had-fallen, -and he
4oul(| 'maffind i t ' h u t'o ii^m g sevCjla day so fte r he had fpunWwbut it was
nsSTess, as'-the weather-wa»-hot,-ilvfeeihg in'suinmhr.- The-bird' had full-sized
mdggqts in-it, but,-inst^',c#--hejngv,tender*.aji|;cqiiqing-to.-piee>eSiat was ps tough
asSTher^and t-hq fa th e rs all figm nff the hard skin, ap^{j)fh ad notrthe smell
n ^ tiy d d l!e e l-pul fid* find. ‘ [ again said nnqu,e|^onably American—that
?was Untold efi ic$ bml*with’ -fthe flesh in which Bad* been’wetted, md cither
figtf ha;d;>tfinwn imTt..or, t!tei»agg®i& had been purposely.put,on the
Softened flesh A The!following ^jjpmg.lma-ir sjid^lgfAet'O^ Parliament prevented
him gating auj ntore Spotted .f'audj^pers^but I should think he, had enough of
‘^‘mexST” ~ DalgleisK,".Bull., Nutt. Orn. 'g i t ^ l ^ 3 ^ p .