aa =) a O [aa jae 4 a0) load ad O ee FOR SCIENCE THE AMERICAN MUSEUM NATURAL HISTORY GIFT OF BY COLOURED FIGURES OF THE BIRDS OF THE BRITISH ISLANDS. lm SZ A} ISSUED BY LORD SEVER OR Deh Zi8.2 ETC, PRESIDENT OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION. VOLUME V. LONDON: R. H. PORTER, 7 PRINCES STREET, CAVENDISH SQUARE, W. 1885—1897. "24-93 964- Jarl. y ALERE { FLAMMAM. PRINTED BY TAYLOR AND FRANCIS, RED LION COURT, FLEET STREET. CONTENTS OF VOLUME TITLEPAGE ConTENTS . CoLuation or Epririons List oF Phares . PLATES Text V. Page bor Tuis Work was CORP MELON OE EDIT TONS: . Great Bustarp ...... . Lirrts Bustarp ...... . Iyptan Hovusara Bts- TARD. . STONE-CURLEW or THICK-KNEB. . ComMON PRATINCOLE .. . CREAM-COLOURED CouRSER. . SOCIABLE LAPWING .... . Lirrnn Ringep PiLoyer. . KErnrisH PLOVER...... . KILLDEER PLOVER .... . GOLDEN PLOVER ...... hGRDY PLOVER <....0.° . Lapwine or PEEwir BELURNSTOND! <2 +. . OYSTER-CATCHER or SpA- Pir. MOAN OGED i scrrito.s- vevete vice ars . BUACK-WINGED STILT... . Grey PHALAROPB . RED-NECKED PHALAROPE issued in two Editions : October 1885, and the Second April 1891, both Editions ending simultaneously ; the Plates in Volume V. appeared as follows :— ist Edition. PART XXI. XOX VE XXXIV. XXXI. XXVIII. ” XXXITI. XXXIV. XXX. XXXIV. Aug. 1892. June 1893. Apr. 1897. June 1895. Sept. 1894. tr] Noy. 1896. Apr. 1897. Aug. 1892. Dec. 1891. Feb. 1895. ” Oct. 1898. Mar. 1390. Apr. 1891. July 1891. May 1890. Jan. 1890. Mar. 1890. Feb. 1895. Apr. 1897. the First commenced 2nd Edition. PART IRV XXIII. XXXIV. XXXI. XXVIII. ” XXXII. XXXIV. XY. XIV. OOK XXIV. ALI. XIX. XII. XVI. XXVIL. XIII. XXX. XXXIV. Aug. 1892. July 1893. Apr. 1897. June 1895. Sept. 1894. ” Nov. 1896. Apr. 1897. Aug. 1892. July 1892. Feb. 1895. ” Oct. 1893. June 1892. Feb. 1893. May 1892. Nov. 1892. Aug. 1894. June 1892. ” Feb. 1895. Apr. 1897. aa 23. 24. 25. 26. A 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 35. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 4]. 42, 43. 44, 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. 52. 53. 54+ 55. 56. 57. 58. 59. COLLATION OF IWiOODCOGKS aes ies id PSO RESINS GREAT or SOLITARY SNIPE. Common SNIPE........ PA alee aoreucot a VIACKISNEPEL Ee cies onan RED-BREASTED SNIPE .. BROAD-BILLED SAND- PIPER. PECTORAL SANDPIPER .. i An AD BonaParte’s SANDPIPE ND UINIGENG papas geste scacroders LirtLe STINT ........ TEMMINCK’s STINT .... AMERICAN STINT...... CuRLEW SANDPIPER.... PuRPLE SANDPIPER .... KEN OTR Meats hear yo £oocomootoo oo on BUFE-BREASTED SAND- PIPER. BartRam’s PLOVER .... CoMMON SANDPIPER.... GREEN SANDPIPER ‘W oop-SANDPIPER SoLITARY SANDPIPER .. Common REDSHANK.... YELLOW-SHANKED SAND- PIPER. Dusky REDSHANK GREENSHANK ........ ERO crohate Stak area gre ena BLACK-TAILED GODWIT . BaR-TAILED GODWIT CURDEWA sack Ae eee Ist PARL Vil. DID, XXVIII. XXX. XXVILI. XXX. XXVIII. XXIV. XIY. XXXIV. XXIV. XIX. XXXI. XXXY. XXYV. XXIV. XII. XXI. XIX. XXIX. XXXI. XXVI. XVIII. XXXIV. XVIII. XVII. XXVII. XXII. XIX. XXXII. XAT. EDITIONS. Edition. Sept. 1888. May 1890. Sept. 1894. June 1895. Dec. 1898. Feb. 1895. Sept. 1894. June 1893. May 1890. Apr. 1897. June 1893. July 1891. June 1895. Nov. 1897. Oct. 1893. June 1893. Jan. 1890. Aug. 1892. July 1891. Nov. 1894. June 1895. Nov. 1893. ” Apr. 1891. Apr. 1897. Apr. 1891. Feb. 1891. ” Dec. 1893. Dec. 1892. July 1891. Apr. 1896. Aug. 1892. 2nd Edition. PART WAU = XVI. XXVIII. XXXI. XXVI. XXX. XXVIII. XXIII. xavalis XXXIV. XXIII. XII. XXXI. KXXY. XXIV. XXITI. XXVII. XV. XIL. XXIX. XXXI. KXYV. ” XIX. XXXIV. XIX. XXII. XXVI. XVIII. XII. XXXIT. EXSVE July 1891. Noy. 1892. Sept. 1894. June 1895. Dee. 1893. Feb. 1895. Sept. 1894. July 1893. Nov. 1892. Apr. 1897. July 1893. May 1892. June 1895. Noy. 1897. Oct. 1893. July 1893. Aug. 1894. Aug. 1892. May 1892. Nov. 1894. June 1895. Nov. 1893. OB Feb. 1893. Apr. 1897. Feb. 1893. June 1893. hl Dec. 1893. Dee. 1892. May 1892. Apr. 1896. Aug. 1892. SOR SP LAU S IN VOLUME V. . Inpran Housara Bostarp. Otis macqueeni, J.B. Gray . Stone-Curtew or THIcK-KNEE. (C£dicnemus scolopax (S. G. Gmelin) . . Common Pratincotz. Glareola pratincola (Linn.) . Cream-cotourep Courser. Cursorius gallicus (J. F. Gmelin) . Socrasre Larwinc. Chetusia gregaria ( Pall.) . Dorrerer. Eudromias morinellus (Linn.) . . Caspian Prover. Aigialitis asiatica (Pall.) . Rincep Prover. Agialitis hiaticola (Linn.) . Lirrte Rincep Prover. Aigialitis curonica (J. F. Gmelin) . Kentish Prover. £gialitis cantiana (Latham) . . Kitiprer Prover. Avgialitis vocifera (Linn.) . GotpEN Piover. Charadrius pluvialis, Linn. . . Grey Plover. Squatarola cinerea (Fleming) . , Larwine or Perwit. Vanellus vulgaris, Bechst. . . Turnstonr. Strepsilas interpres (Linn.) . OysTER-CATCHER or Sea-Piz. Hematopus ostra- legus, Linn. To face page . Great Bustarp. Otis tarda, Linn. . . Lirrre Bustarp. Otis tetrax, Linn. 5 vill PLATES IN VOL. Y. To face page 19. Avocet. Recurvirostra avocetta, Linn. . 5 49 20. Buack-wincep Stitt. Himantopus melanopterus, Meyer . co ecu seus PGE. oslo tue Intuit SOM 21. Grey Puatarore. Phataropus fulicarius (Linn.). 53 22. Rep-neckep Puataropr. Phalaropus hyperboreus (Linn.) . Be “cet Art Goh Ih 56 23. Woopncocn. Scolopax rusticula, Linn. . . . } 58 24. Do. Do. . OS i ee emer ee ore ee 25. Great or Sonitary Snive. Scolopax major, J. F. Gmelin 3 Po i ey 59 26. Common Sniez. Scolopax gallinago, Linn. . 63 27. Do. (Melanic variety). Scolopax sabinii, Vigors . 64 28. Jack Snivz. Scolopax gallinula, Linn. 67 29. Rep-Breastep Snirpg. Macrorhamphus griseus es Canatin) eee. 6 aos 5 a 5 a o Will 30, Broap-BILLeD SanppiPEr. Limicola platyrhyncha (Temm.) : Sees sh om mee ee es 74 31. Pecroran Sanppirer. Tringa maculata, Vieill. 76 32. Do. Do. NG Ge eo ee ee 33. Bonapartn’s Sanppirper. Tringa fuscicollis,Vieill. 80 34. Dunuin. Tringa alpina, Linn. : 81 35. Lirrtyn Sting. Tringa minuta, Leisler . 86 36. Temmincr’s Stint. Tringa temmincki, Leisler 87 37. American Sint. Tringa minutilla, Vieill. 90 38. Curtew Sanprirer. Trinya subarquata (Giilden- stadt) Sy aie ibn ere ester mae 91 39. PurpLe Sanppiper. Tringa striata, Linn. . 93 40. Kynor. Tringa canutus, Linn. Summer 95 41. Do. Do. Winter each ae eee 96 42. SanperLine. Calidris arenaria (Linn.) . 5° (OY 43. Burr-BrEasTED Sanppiper. Tringa rufescens, Vieill. . Se chat) See mele ee gee OO 44, Bartram’s Prover. Bartramia longicauda (Bechst.) . 101 or Or Ot or OU OL ov Ot Or Ot © PLATES IN VOL. V. 1x To face page . Common Sanopiprr. Totanus hypoleucus (Linn.). 103 . Gruen Sanppirer. Totanus ochropus (Linn.). . 105 ‘7. Woop-Sanprierr. Totanus glareola (J. ¥.Gmelin). 109 . Sovirary Sanppipur. Totanus solitarius (Wilson). 111 ) . Common Repsuanr. Totanus calidris (Linn.). . 113 . YELLOW-SHANKED Sanppiper. Totanus flavipes ecw wre SND (J. F. Gmelin) er deh cieste 1G : Dusky Repsnann. Totanus fuscus (Linn.) . . 118 Greensgank. Totanus glottis (Linn.) . . . . 119 Rurr. Machetes pugnaz (linn.). . ... . \ 192 | Do. Do. , : - les i) Buack-tartep = Gopwir. Limosa egocephala } (Linn.) Gaia Ob SOP ay oe 125 Bar-TatLep Gopwir. Limosa lapponica (Linn.) . 129 | Curtew. Numenius arquata (Linn.) . . . . 181 Wuimeret. Numenius pheopus (Linn.) . . . 185 i Eskimo Curtew. Numenius borealis (J.R. Forster) 137 1 CLOOOCOCO——$__— VOL. V. b =: “Mpog ‘aaoty “AA OUT ‘maT ‘epiey SHO ‘duvisna Lvadad GREAT BUSTARD. OTIS TARDA, Linn. Otis tarda, Linn. S.N. i. p. 264 (1766); Naum. vii. p. 12 ; Macy. iv. p. 30; Hewitson, i. p. 285; Yarr. ed. 4, ii. p- 193; Dresser, vil. p. 369. Outarde barbue, French; Trappe, German; Adutarda, Spanish. To those interested in the history of British Birds it is superfluous to state that this fine species, which was formerly resident and well known in certain counties of England, and, at least in one district, in Scotland, is now an exceptional and uncommon straggler to this country, wherein there are but few tracts remaining in a condition to suitits habits and tastes. Open country, without trees or fences, a dry light soil, and freedom from human disturbance, are essential to the continued stay of this bird; and although there are still a few localities in England that afford the natural conditions just mentioned, our swarming population, its industries, traffic, recreations, and facilities of locomotion leave but little chance for the Bustard to enjoy the solitude in which he delights. For an exhaustive account of the last days of our bird as a resident in Norfolk I must refer my readers to the second volume of Stevenson’s admirable work, ‘The Birds of Norfolk’; the author treats his subject not only with a minute accuracy of detail but with a pervading expression of regret at the virtual extinction of this grand living ornament of his native county, that appeals to all the best feelings of those who love birds for their own sake. From this account it seems that the last eggs of the Great Bustard found in Norfolk were taken in the neighbourhood of Great Massingham in 1835; and in all probability these were the last laid in England by one of these birds in a state of freedom. The wolds of Yorkshire and Lincoln, and the downs of several of our southern counties, besides the well- known favourite localities in Hast Anglia, were, within the memory of man, frequented by the Great Bustard ; but now-a-days the scanty records of its occurrence in our country are obituary notices, generally setting forth how Mr. A. shot an invariably “splendid” specimen, and how the “accomplished taxidermist” Mr. B. is engaged in “mounting ” it for the collection of Mr. C. I am very glad, however, to be able to record a notable and most praiseworthy exception to the usual treatment of a Bustard in England, in the case of a fine male that visited the fen country of West Norfolk in 1876; the owner of the locality in which this bird made its appearance at once took measures to prevent its being disturbed, and was at least rewarded by having frequent opportunities of observing the Bustard and showing it to several sympathizing lovers of birds; this bird remained in the district for a considerable time, and, as I have reason to believe, England is guiltless of its blood. I have become intimately acquainted with the Great Bustard in Spain; but as I have already set forth my experiences in the ‘Journal of the Northamptonshire Natural History Society,’ I will only say here that this species is very abundant, and more or less resident, in the great plains of Central and Southern Spain, where it is not much esteemed as an article of food, and I hope likely to hold its own for many years to come. No amount of legitimate and sportsmanlike pursuit can materially affect the “breed” of Bustards in Spain ; and, in my opinion, Bustard-driving is excellent sport, and the young birds very excellent food, whilst even the flesh of old males, who are of course the principal desiderata from the sportsman’s point of view, can be rendered into most palatable soup—and Spain is a hungry country. Vast numbers of Bustards are said to exist in the southern provinces of Russia in Europe, as well as in Hungary and European Turkey ; in fact the bird is, or has been, tolerably common in all parts of Europe that are suited to its habits. In captivity this fine bird thrives well in favourable circumstances, and becomes not only tame but ageres- sive and impudent towards its human visitors, though in my experience, with a few exceptions, peaceable enough with other birds. This bird is virtually omnivorous; the Andalucian herdsmen and shepherds declare that the young birds, during their first summer, subsist almost entirely upon insect-food ; but hardly any green thing comes amiss to them, and besides vegetable food of all sorts, they will greedily devour mice, small birds, frogs, lizards, snails, small fishes, and earthworms. uury ‘X®149} SHO ‘dauvisnd AITLLUI PULPOg, “@ABIO “AL OUI] LITTLE BUSTARD. OTIS TETRAX, Linn. Otis tetrax, Linn. S. N.i. p. 264 (1766) ; Naum. vii. p. 52; Macg. iv. p. 85; Hewitson, i. p. 287; Yarr. ed. 4, iii. p. 216; Dresser, vil. p. 383. Outarde canepéticre, Poule de Carthage, French; Zwerg- Trappe, German ; Sison, Spanish. This is an uncommon and irregular visitor to the British Islands, and, so far as I am aware, has never been known to nest between the “four seas.” Mr. H. Saunders states that most of the occurrences recorded have been during the colder months, and I do not remember to have ever heard of more than two or three as seen together on any one occasion in our country. My personal acquaintance with the Little Bustard is almost entirely confined to Spain and North Africa. With regard to the former country I make no excuse for quoting from my “Notes on the Birds of North- amptonshire,” contributed to the ‘Natural History Journal’ of our county, in an article referring to a solitary record of this species therein :—In most of its habits, haunts, and food, as well as in make and general tone of plumage, this bird resembles the Great Bustard ; but it is a more strictly southern species, and is less exclusively addicted to absolutely level stretches of country than that bird during the summer months ; at that season undulating pasture-lands, or fields of growing corn, especially in the neighbourhood of water, are its favourite abode, and in Spain, wherever such combination of circumstance is met with to the south of the central mountain-ranges, the Little Bustard is pretty certain to be found from April to August in pairs or small family-parties. On the approach of winter these birds congregate in large flocks, and I think that in Spain a very considerable local migration to the south- ward takes place from the high central plateaux to the sunny plains of Andalucia, At all events very large numbers of this species are to be found flocked on these plains during the colder months, frequenting the fallows, stubbles, and drier. marsh-lands. In the courting- season, April and early May, the male often betrays his presence by a very peculiar cry, that Colonel Irby aptly describes as easily imitable ‘“ by pouting out and pressing the lips tightly together and then blowing through them ;” he adds, ‘the birds when thus calling seem to be close to you, but are often in reality half a mile off.” This exactly agrees with my own experience. At the season to which I am referring, the male constantly springs two or three feet from the ground, with dilated throat, and wings partially extended, and, in fact, goes through a sort of “show ”’ more or less common amongst birds of this Order. In the winter I have found this species very wary and i difficult of approach, and although a shot or two may occasionally be obtained by “‘driving,” as a rule the birds mount high in the air on rismg, and generally pass over the concealed gunners far out of shot-range. On the other hand, during the breeding-season, although the Little Bustard will run at great speed in good covert before an enemy, we had little difficulty im procuring as many specimens as we required by advancing in line to the spot from which we had seen one of the male birds jump, or heard his call, and in the great heats of August and September these birds lie very close in any available shade of grass or weeds. When the bird is alone, or only in company of a mate, I have found that a close approach on horseback is often feasible, especially if accompanied by the tinkle of a cattle-bell attached to the neck of the quadruped. The flesh of this bird is, in my opinion, of excellent quality, and is frequently served up in Spanish inns under the name of “ Faisan” (Pheasant), to which it has no likeness, either in taste or colour. In the Regency of Tunis, where I met with the Little Bustard in great numbers in November and December, and also in Algeria, it is known to the European inhabitants as “Poule de Carthage.” The flight of this bird is exceedingly rapid and easy, and the action of the wings produces a loud whistling sound, from which the Spanish name of “ Sison” is derived. ‘The few nests that I have seen were composed of dried straws and grass-stems in a shallow scratching, amongst growing corn or in thick covert of natural vege- tation. The eggs are three or four in number, of a dark glossy olive-green, occasionally spotless, but more often blotched with dark bronze colour. The Spaniards say that the Little Bustard generally produces two broods ; this statement I can neither deny or confirm from personal knowledge, but I have reason to believe that it is correct. In captivity this bird becomes very tame, but is delicate and very susceptible of damp in cold weather. The Little Bustard abounds in certain parts of the Danubian provinces, the Crimea and Southern Russia generally ; I have met with it in Albania, Sicily, and Sardinia, and have received specimens from Cyprus. Mr. H. Saunders tells us that it breeds freely on the plains that extend across France from Marne to La Vendée, where it has greatly increased of late years, arriving about the end of March or early in April, and leaving in September. I believe that these dates would apply generally as regards this bird to most of its summer haunts to the north of the Alps and Pyrenees, but in the south of Spain, Sardinia, and Sicily it is to be met with throughout the year. For a most amusing account of the pursuit of this species and the Great Bustard on the downs of the Dobrudscha, I refer my readers to a delightfully written article by Mr. W. H. Simpson in ‘The Ibis’ for 1861, p. 361. Wa INDIAN HOUBARA BUSTARD. OTIS MACQUEENTI, J. E. Gray. Otis macqueeni, Gray & Hardwicke, Ill. Ind. Zool. ii. pl. 47; Naum. xiii. Suppl. p. 216; Yarr. ed. 4, ii. p. 221; Dresser, vii. p. 395. A bird of this species was shot in October 1847 by Mr. G. Hunsley in a stubble-field near Kirton-in-Lindsey, Lincolnshire, and the specimen is still preserved in the museum of the Philosophical Society at York. A second bird was shot on 5th October, 1892, near Marske, in Yorkshire. It proved to be a male and is now in the museum at Newcastle-on-Tyne. A third example, also a male, was shot in the parish of Easington, near Spurn Head, on the 17th October, 1896, and an account of its capture is given by Mr. John Cordeaux in the ‘Zoologist’ for 1896 (p. 433). In Europe several occurrences of this Bustard have been recorded, concerning some of which the details are given by Mr. H. Saunders in his ‘ Manual.’ The home of the species is Central Asia, whence it migrates southwards, and spends the winter in Northern India, and is said to be especially abundant in Sind at that season. An egg of this species, taken in Mesopotamia in May 1860, and sent to Professor Newton, is figured in the ‘Proceedings of the Zoological Society’ for 1861 (p. 397, pl. xxxix. fig. 5). Pe Oz84] ART STUDIO, LONDON. O-LITHO. CHROM SHEAR: Ds U > > HTOUBARA [INDIAN Gray. eee is macqueeni, Ot i” ial “UIMay “AAATD “M “OUITT “(uyjaup “9 ‘g) xedoyoos snueusIpy) ‘AANN-MOINL YO ‘MATHNO-ANOLS STONE-CURLEW or THICK-KNEE, CEDICNEMUS SCOLOPAX (S. G. Ginelin). Charadrius scolopax, S. G. Gmelin, Reise durch Russland, ii. p. 87 (1774). Charadrius cedicnemus, Linn. S. N. i. p. 255 (1766). Cidicnemus crepitans, Naum. vil. p. 92; Macg. iv. p. 77; Hewitson, i. p. 288. Cidicnemus scolopax, Yarr. ed. 4, ii. p. 225; Dresser, vii. p- 401. Cidicnéme criard, French; Triel, German; Alcaravdn, Spanish. This bird is a vernal visitor to those parts of our country that it affects for breeding purposes, but in Cornwall it is said to appear in autumn, and frequently remains on the moorlands of that county throughout the winter. ‘The districts chiefly favoured by this species during the summer are chalk-downs, sandy warrens, heaths, and extensive fallows, and it is only to be met with casually and uncommonly upon heavy lands, gene- rally at the periods of migration. We found it in some numbers on the Wiltshire downs between Salisbury and Devizes in the early spring, and took several with the Falcons of the “ Old Hawking Club.” In West Norfolk, where the Thick-knee still breeds in tolerable abundance, I have frequently seen considerable assemblages in early autumn when the birds were evidently congregating for departure. As a rule, I have found the Thick-knee very wary, but it occasionally attempts to avoid observation by squatting or standing motionless, trusting, no doubt, to the similarity of its inconspicuous upper plumage to its surroundings for concealment. From my own experience I think that this habit is generally adopted on the approach of a wheeled vehicle or of a person on horseback ; and in Spain, where the bird is very common, I should frequently have passed solitary individuals if it had not been for the glistening of their bright yellow irides in the sun- light. Although these birds are specially addicted to perfectly bare and open wastes, I have frequently seen them flushed from plantations of young conifers on the sands of Norfolk, and Professor A. Newton has recorded a case in which a pair frequented a spot in a covert of more than three hundred acres at Elveden, Suffolk, long after it had become the centre of a flourishing wood. The principal food of this species consists of beetles, snails, mice, slugs, and worms, frogs also are very favourite morsels, and the birds “ flight” regularly at nightfall from their diurnal haunts to the nearest marshy lands in search of these delicacies. The eggs, two in number, are laid upon the bare ground, and in colour so closely resemble their sandy or flinty surroundings that they are often very difficult to find. A most interesting account of close observation of a pair of this species at their nesting-place is given by Mr. A. Trevor- Battye in a very fascinating work entitled ‘ Pictures in Prose, etc.’ (Longmans & Co., 1894). ‘This bird feeds principally at night, and in Spain, when riding by moon- light, I have frequently been startled by a sudden clamour of “ Alcaravanes ” passing overhead on their way to their feeding-grounds. ‘The cry is loud and clear, but to my ears somewhat mournful and querulous, well in keeping with the lonely and uninhabited localities so beloved of our bird. In captivity the Thick-knee thrives well, and from its semi-confident hesitating manners and extra- ordinary speed on foot, with frequent relapses into complete immobility, is a very attractive denizen of an aviary. This species is to be met with in suitable localities throughout Central and Southern Europe and North Africa during the summer, and very frequently, if not generally, passes the winter in the countries that border the Mediterranean. The Thick-knee, though a very powerful flyer, has but little chance of escape from a good Falcon, and in my experience seems to be well aware of this fact, as although it will turn down wind and fly close to the ground at great speed, it shrieks pitifully, and will plunge headlong into the first furze-bush, patch of bracken, or rabbit-burrow that it can reach. I have kept several of these birds captured in this way alive at Lilford for considerable periods. In my opinion the Thick-knee is altogether worthless for the table, but in Spain there is a tradition (no doubt handed down from the Moors) that the flesh of this bird if eaten warm endows its consumer with strong sight and fleetness of foot. (uu) ejoouneid vjoerelsy ‘ATOONILYAd NOWWOD MIgAOG “BAOID “Ay COUGNT COMMON PRATINCOLE. GLAREOLA PRATINCOLA (Linn.). Hirundo pratincola, Linn. 8. N. i. p. 345 (1766). Glareola torquata, Naum. ix. p. 437, xill. p. 261; Hewitson, i. p. 290. Glareola pratincola, Macg. iv. p.49; Yarr. ed. 4, iii. p. 2381; Dresser, vu. p. 411. Perdriz de Mer, Glaréole a collier, French; Giarol, Brach- Schwalbe, German ; Canastera, Spanish. This very remarkable bird is a rare straggler to our country, and has not, to my knowledge, been recorded as breeding in Western Europe anywhere to the north of the great plains that border the lower course of the Rhone. From Cape St. Vincent to Cyprus and Pales- tine the Pratincole is a well-known and locally common summer visitor, and breeds in great abundance in Morocco, certain parts of Southern Spain, Algeria, Tunis, and Sicily. I have on many occasions met with great numbers of this interesting species in the “marisma” on both sides of the Guadalquivir below Seville ; it arrives in that district from the south towards the end of April, and may from that date be seen, especially as the sun begins to sink, hawking for insects over the marsh-lands and corn-fields in every direction. Its favourite breeding-localities are the vast open and almost entirely barren expanses of mud that have been under water during the late autumn and winter, and become dry and baked hard by the sun of March and April. In these localities the Pratincole lays two or three eggs side by side, without any attempt at a nest, during the first fortnight of May. These eggs are very unlike those of any Plover with which I am acquainted, although the authorities have (in my opinion) rightly classed the Glareolide between the Stone-Curlews and the Coursers. In flight, ery, and general habit of life the present bird much resembles the Marsh-Terns, and its eggs have a certain resemblance to those of some of that group. Linnzeus, who had classed it with the Swallows before having seen it, on receiving a specimen from Gibraltar, wrote of it:—‘ Ad Grallas spectat, et proprii generis est” (Yarrell’s ‘ British Birds,’ 4th ed. vol. i. p. 236). Durmg the heat of the day these birds for the most part remain upon the ground, either basking in the sun or running swiftly in pursuit of beetles and other insects, though some are at all times hawking over the plains. ‘Towards sunset they all become active, and may be seen skimming and hovering at no great height in every direction, and continue on wing long after darkness has set in. In my experience the Pratincole is rather a silent bird, except when disturbed in its breeding-haunts, when it is very clamorous and utters a harsh, rapidly repeated cry, which to my ears resembles that of some of the smaller Terns. During the breeding-season these birds are perfectly fearless of man, and will boldly attack a dog, but, when merely resting awhile on their migrations, I have found them difficult of approach, without a certain amount of scheming, though when on wing they will pass and repass within a few yards of unconcealed human beings. The Pratincole frequently cowers with extended wings on the bare ground without any apparent cause, and as frequently lies upon its side with one wing partially elevated, as represented in the Plate. We found this species in abundance in the plains of Cyprus in May, but did not discover any eggs, although I have no doubt that it breeds in the island. In Corfu and on the opposite mainland of Epirus these birds appear in April and haunt suitable localities for a considerable time; but I am not aware of their breeding in those regions anywhere nearer to Corfu than Mesolonghi. Mr. John Gould informed me that he had never seen a young Pratincole in down, and had no idea as to its appearance; I was able to procure some of these birds for him in Spain in this stage in 1869, that could not have been more than two or three days old; as I expected, they can run like typical Plovers on leaving the egg. Mr. Gould gives a very accurate represen- tation of the young bird in this early stage in his grand work, the ‘ Birds of Great Britain.’ Colonel Irby, in his useful ‘Ornithology of the Straits of Gibraltar,’ tells us that he found Pratincoles “in countless thou- sands” in Morocco to the south of Larache in April, but they had not then begun to lay; he goes on to mention that he was assured that these birds in autumn are excellent eating. I may add that they are by no means bad on the table in the Spring. This bird, in Andalucia, is universally known by the name of ‘Canastera,’ a word of which I have hitherto been unable to discover the derivation or meaning. NUPIOG ‘BAOLH “MOUNT ‘(Mpup WL) SNOT[Vs snt1osing ‘MASUNOD GANNOTOO-WYyaao CREAM-COLOURED COURSER. CURSORIUS GALLICUS (J. F. Gmelin). Charadrius gallicus, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. i. p. 692 (1788). Cursor europeeus, Naum. vii. p. 77. Cursorius europzus, Macg. iv. p. 42. Cursorius gallicus, Yarr. ed. 4, iii. p. 238; Dresser, vii. p. 425. Cour-vite isabelle, French. Some twenty specimens of this beautiful desert-bird have met with death at the hands of man in our country, and their respective occurrences been duly recorded by competent persons. It is difficult to assign any cause for the visits of these ill-advised lovers of sun, sand, and freedom from human molestation, to our humid and over-populated Islands, especially as there is no evidence that the Courser is even a regular local migrant in Africa—the country of its birth. I have never seen a Courser alive, or even recently dead, and therefore I make no apology to my readers for quoting at length from Mr. E. G. Meade-Waldo’s most interesting “ Notes on the Birds of the Canary Islands,” published in ‘The Ibis’ for 1889. I may mention that this gentleman is the only English writer with whom I am acquainted who has published any details of conse- quence as to the breeding-habits of the present species. Alluding to a visit to the island of Fuerteventura in 1888, Mr. Meade-Waldo writes (/oc. supra cit. pp. 505, 506) of a second visit in February 1889, as follows :—“I got on better this year at finding the nests of Cursorius gallicus, but they are certainly very difficult to discover. This is caused by the perfectly open country, the bird being of the same colour as the ground and never betraying fear or uneasiness, and the eggs being exactly like the stones that cover the plain. There is really no nest, the bigger stones being just moved away to make room for the bird to sit upon the two eggs. The young are much easier to find than the eggs. The hen only remains at the nest whilst she is sitting; the cocks either go about in little parties or mix with birds that are not breeding. When the young are hatched, however, both parents care for them, the male being rather more shy than the hen. It is easy to tell the cock from the hen while running about ; he carries himself much higher and seems to have a bigger head; when shot, this difference vanishes. The males breed in their first year, as two that I shot were in partly spotted plumage. Nevertheless, many do not breed at all, as I saw flocks of some fifteen to forty birds, whilst others had eggs or small young. In flocks they were very wild, and reminded one generally of Lapwings; they skim a great deal with outstretched, motionless wings. ‘Their note is a low gua gua when they have young. When shot this bird ejects a brownish fluid from its mouth, which soils its feathers very much. I fancy that this is natural and voluntary. Where the birds are most frequent this fluid may be seen in patches; and a pair of young ones that I kept alive for three days ejected some of it when undis- turbed and apparently at their ease. I think that I should have succeeded in rearing this pair had it not been that I could not spare time for the almost ceaseless attention that they required. They ate flies, small snails, and cochineal bugs, also small pieces of lizards. They ran at a great rate, holding themselves very upright, with their wings stretched out wide.” The normal range of this bird extends from the Canary Isles throughout North Africa, Arabia, and Persia to the north-western plains of Hindostan ; its occurrences in Europe being, though not very rare, purely erratic and accidental. Only two skins of Cream-coloured Courser have been sent to me from Spain during the twenty-five years that I have collected the birds of that country; these were killed in the Marisma de Lebrija in August. For some interesting details on the habits of this species in captivity and freedom in Morocco I refer my readers to the notes of Favier, of Tangier, as set forth by Colonel Irby in his ‘ Ornithology of the Straits of Gibraltar.’ ated im 22 - SOCIABLE LAPWING. VANELLUS GREGARIUS (Pail.). Charadrius gregarius, Pallas, Reise, i. p. 456. Vanellus gregarius, C. L. Brehm, Vogelf. p. 285; Seebokm, P. Z.S. 1888, p. 416. Chettusia gregaria, Dresser, vil. p. 527; Saunders, Man. Br. B. p. 537. One occurrence. A young bird was shot between 1860-1866 by a farmer out of a flock of Peewits, about two miles from St. Michael’s on Wyre, Lancashire. For many years it passed as a Cream-coloured Courser, until its owner, Mr. Doeg of Manchester, sent it to Seebohm, who, recognizing the species to which it belonged, exhibited it at a meeting of the Zoolcgical Society held 20th November, 1888. A few stray occurrences of this Plover are recorded from Central Europe, Southern France, Italy, and elsewhere; but its home is South-eastern Russia, South- western and Central Asia, whence it migrates south in winter to North-castern Africa, Arabia, India, and Ceylon. [O. 8.] Cima) snisedo18 snjpour,~ “ONIMdWT ATaWIOOS 6 v UIPOEL OAQID “MA COUNT 258 DOTTEREL. EUDROMIAS MORINELLUS (Linn.). Charadrius morinellus, Linn. S. N. i. p. 254; Naum. vii. p- 163; Hewitson, ii. p. 298. Pluvialis morinellus, Macg. iv. p. 104. Eudromias morinellus, Dresser, vii. p. 507; Yarr. ed. 4, ii. p. 246. Pluvier guinard, French; Dummer Regenpfeifer, Mornell, German. The Dotterel is a spring and autumn visitor to many of the counties of England as it passes to and from its breeding-grounds in the higher mountains of the Lake- district and of the Highlands of Scotland. It performs similar migrations in Europe and Western Asia, breed- ing in the north or the high mountains of more southern countries, such as Transylvania and Styria, and spending the winter in the countries bordering the southern shores of the Mediterranean. Lord Lilford has given a full account of his own personal knowledge of this interesting bird in his ‘ Birds of Northamptonshire’ (vol. ii. p. 4). [O. 8.] =e CHROMO-LITHG. ART STUDIO. LONDON. 1 in , XN DOTTIE Eudromias mori (smog) ITVeIse siyeLsay ‘HMHAOTdI NVIdSVYO tuyzeg ‘2AarH *M ‘OUNT ‘ CASPIAN PLOVER. MEGIALITIS ASIATICA (Pail.). Charadrius asiaticus, Pall. Reise Russ. ii. p. 715 (1773). fKigialitis asiatica, Dresser, vil. p. 479. One occurrence only of this Asiatic species has hitherto been recorded as having taken place in Great Britain, and I cannot do better than condense that record from Appendix A, pp. 582-384, to vol. iu. of Stevenson’s ‘Birds of Norfolk, by Mr. ‘Thomas Southwell, through whose kind offices I obtained the loan of the bird for the purposes of this work. Mr. Southwell writes :—‘ On the evening of May 23, 1890, I received from Mr. Lowne, of Great Yarmouth, the fresh skin of a handsome full-plumaged male of this species, which he sent for determination, as the bird was unknown to him. I subsequently learned the following particulars. During the morning of May 22 two strange birds were seen in a large market-garden, bordermg on the North Denes, at Yarmouth, which attracted the attention of a man who works the garden for a Mr. Bracey ; but he had no opportunity of a shot. About 5.30 p.m., when they were on the golf-ground, which forms a portion of the denes, the step-son of the man who had seen them in the morning saw them, and having a gun with him, tried to get both birds in a line, but being unsuccessful, selected the brighter of the two, its companion being about six yards distant from it; when he fired, the paler bird flew off in a westerly direction, and was no more seen. ‘The dead bird was taken the next morning to Mr. Lowne for preservation, and, as before stated, he forwarded the skin to me the same evening. ‘The weather being very warm at the time, Mr. Lowne would not risk sending the bird in the flesh, hence it was that I only saw the skin; but I may mention that it had all the appearance of having been very recently removed, and there were still many living parasites remaining on the feathers. Mr. Lowne tells me that the total length of the bird when in the flesh was eight inches, and its weight 24 0z. Through the liberality of some friends I was enabled to purchase this specimen for the Norwich Museum, and to send this first British example of the Caspian Plover for exhibition at the meeting of the Zoological Society on June 17, 1890. I submitted the parasites before men- tioned to Dr. E. Piaget, who informed me that they were of a new species, for which he proposed the name of Mirmus assimilis.” I have never met with this species alive ; its home is said to be Western Asia, especially the shores of the Caspian ; I have a specimen, obtained by my brother in Lower Egypt. It has been recorded as having occurred twice in Heligoland, viz. in November 1850 and May 1859. ‘ulpeg ‘eAery "AA “O"UIT (CwuT) eMoneIY SHEL MAAOTd CGAONTY RINGED PLOVER. AEGIALITIS HIATICULA (Linn). Charadrius hiaticula, Linn. S. N. i. p. 253 (1766); Naum, vil. p. 191; Macg. iv. p. 116; Hewitson, ii. p. 296. #igialitis hiaticula, Yarr. ed. 4, ui. p. 257; Dresser, vii. p. 497. Pluvier «& collier, French; Sand-Regenpfeiffer, German ; Frailecillo, Correrios, Spanish. This pretty bird, which is known by a variety of names in different parts of the country, is common on all our sandy and shingly coasts throughout the year, and is also frequently to be met with inland on the banks of rivers and lakes. The Ringed Plover lays its four eggs in a hollow in the sand or shingle; and I can confirm from personal observation the fact stated in the Ath edition of ‘ Yarrell,’ that the cavity in which the eggs are laid is occasionally lined with a number of small stones, from which habit the bird has in certain localities acquired the name of Stone-Hatch. These birds show the greatest anxiety and distress when their eggs or young are approached, and will go through all the dodges of the Peewit or Partridge to draw attention to themselves and away from their broods on such occa- sions, feigning to have broken wings or legs, and only just avoiding capture by rising when very closely pressed by man or dog. When the bird has no special cause for anxiety it usually runs off rapidly before a human intruder upon its haunts, uttering a soft sweet whistle, and occasionally halting abruptly with noddings of the head and bowings of the body. In the autumn these birds gather into large flocks and associate with Dunlins and other Waders on the mud-flats at low-water times. But the Ringed Plover is essentially a bird of the sand, and can evidently find a living in spots where a Sandpiper would starve, as it is known to breed on some of the warrens of our eastern counties ; and I have myself met with a pair that were evidently breeding upon a high down in the county of Hants during the month of June. There is no doubt that this species habitually rears more than one brood, as the young are often to be found well able to take care of themselves in May, and, on the- other hand, I have found several that could not have been hatched more than a few hours late in July. Besides the name of Stone-Hatch, already mentioned, this bird is very commonly known as Ringed Dotterel, Sea-Lark, Stone-Runner, Sand-Lark, Pullot, and Purre; this last name, however, is more commonly applied to the Duniin. I must refer my readers to the often quoted 4th edition of ‘ Yarrell’ for details relating to a small race of this species that occurs more or less regularly on the 31 south coast of England in May, and has been (as I think without valid reason) specifically separated from the present bird under the title of 4. intermedia. This small race is the prevailing form on the shores of the Mediterranean; but is not, in my experience, very abundant in Southern Europe. CHROMO-LITHO. ART STUDIO, LONDON 4 ae IS Oo 8 as anni gq iQyRS an Sie Gi a 4 & 5 2 A= ao Ss and =| LITTLE RINGED PLOVER. 4EGIALITIS CURONICA (J. F. Gmelin). Charadrius curonicus, J. F. Gmelin, Syst. Nat. i. p. 692 (1788). Charadrius minor, Naum. vii. p. 225, xiii. p. 229; Macg. iv. p. 128; Hewitson, 1. p. 299. Aigialitis curonica, Yarr. ed. 4, ili. p. 262; Dresser, vii. p- 491. Petit Pluvier a collier, French; Fluss-Regenpfeiffer, German ; Frailecillo, Andarios chico, Spanish. This bird is a singularly rare visitor to England, although common in many parts of the continent of Europe and a regular summer migrant to the north- eastern portions thereof. I have met with this Plover on various parts of the shores of the Mediterranean, and found it breeding in scattered pairs on the uncultivated wastes of New Castile in the neighbourhood of Aranjuez. Except in the matter of its preference for the sandy banks of freshwater lakes, ponds, and streams, to the sea-shore, this species differs but little in habits from the common Ringed Plover, but it is considerably smaller, and proportionately much more slenderly built than that bird. ‘The eggs of the present species, found by us in Spain, were laid in slight depressions of the sand amongst stones and stunted vegetation, without any attempt at a nest; the complement is four, they are, of course, smaller, and more elongated and thickly speckled, than those of the Ringed Plover. In one instance I came upon three of these eggs on the sand between the wheel-ruts of a rough cart-road. The birds did not display any particular anxiety at our approach, but merely flew to a short distance and ran about unconcernedly, uttering a short sharp whistle from time to time. A shepherd, who shared our “ bucolica,”’— midday repast,—on one occasion, assured me that these little birds sing like Larks before they begin to lay ; this is quite probable, but the only note that I ever heard from them is that to which I have just alluded. This bird may always be distinguished from the Ringed Plover by the colour of the shafts of the primaries, which are all dusky except the outer one, which alone is white throughout. - 7 on San ~ — Basia oy ral 7 U . ? a 5 a a ee U : ae i z est 2 ag : : 7 c ‘ ’ at mar | i t * > ~ one i hs } ‘ iy sy cr ' Fi . ’ ‘ i (upyjvT) ‘VULILUBO SIP|LIsAy REA OWE ESTE IN Geet "NOGNO7 ‘O1ONLS LYY "OHLIT-OWOYHS KENTISH PLOVER. 4EGIALITIS CANTIANA (Latham). Charadrius cantianus, Lath. Suppl. 1. to Gen. Synopsis, p- Ixvi (1801); Naum. vii. p. 210; Macg. iv. p. 125 ; Hewitson, i. p. 298. fBgialitis cantiana, Yarr. ed. 4, i. p. 267; Dresser, vi. p- 483. x Pluvier a collier interrompu, French; See-Regenpfeiffer, German; Charran, Spanish. This bird, first described by Latham, was named by him as abcve, on account of his having received speci- mens from Dr. Boys that were killed at Sandwich in 1787 and 1791. The Kentish Plover is a very local and not a very abundant vernal migrant to our shores, arriving in April and departing about the end of August. Personally I have met with it but very rarely in this country, but am well acquainted with it from frequent close observation in Spain and many parts of the shores of the Mediterranean. As I have already published virtually all that I have to say of this bird from my own experience in the ‘Journal of the North- amptonshire Nat. History Society,’ I make no scruple about quoting therefrom verbatim as follows :—“ I found the Kentish Plover common on the shores of the Bay of Cadiz in February, and later in the year observed it in small parties on both banks of the Guadalquivir as far up as to within a few miles below Seville. These birds are extraordinarily tame and fearless of man, and will run about and feed unconcernedly within a few feet of a boat full of people. If a flock is fired at, many of the survivors will very soon return to the spot from which they were startled by the shot. In general habits this species resembles the Ringed Plover, but appears to be more exclusively addicted to shingle and hard sands than that bird; I seldom met with it upon the soft tidal mud. ‘The eggs average three in number, and may be readily distinguished from those of the Ringed Plover by the deeper yellowish tinge of their ground-colour and the irregular and ‘scratchy’ character of their mark- ings.” The usual complement of eggs is three in my experience, but Mr. H. Saunders has more than once found four. The Kentish Plover breeds in small numbers in certain localities in England, but has suffered greatly from the greed of collectors of British birds and eggse This bird has a wide range, as it is met with at various seasons from the Vagus to the coasts of China and Japan, and from the shores of the Baltic to Ceylon and the Cape Colony. ‘(uugq) SIaIIOA sHyeIsay ‘AGAOTdH AAAA TIA curieg ‘eAaIn "AA ‘OUITT earpiece KILLDEER PLOVER. AEGIALITIS VOCIFERA (Linn.). Charadrius vociferus, Linn. 8. N. i. p. 253 (1766). Meialitis vocifera, Yarr. ed. 4, ii. p. 266, Pref. p. ix. The specimen of this bird from which the accom- panying Plate was taken was most obligingly lent to me (with other rare British birds) by its owner, Mr. Dorrien Smith, of Tresco, Scilly, for the purposes of this work. The occurrence of this specimen, killed by Mr. Jenkinson in the island of Tresco in January 1885, is recorded with a few details at p. 113 of the ‘Zoologist’ for that year by Mr. Thomas Cornish. I am positively assured by Mr. Edward Hart, of Christ- church, Hants, that another bird of this species was killed on the shore of Christchurch harbour in April 1857, and seen by him whilst in fresh condition. These two are, as I believe, the only recorded instances of the occurrence of this American bird in the United Kingdom. As I have never crossed the Atlantic I can say nothing of the Killdeer from personal observation, so I quote the following details from Clhamberlain’s edition of ‘Nuttall’s Manual’ (1891) :—“'The well-known, restless, and noisy Killdeer is common throughout the United States, in nearly all parts of which it is known to breed, wintering, however, generally to the south of Massachusetts. In the winter it is confined to the coast ; but about the beginning of May it resorts to the fields or level pastures which happen to be diversified with pools of water, or to the barren sandy downs in the immediate vicinity of the sea, where it lays its eggs, usually four in number, in a slight hollow lined with such straw and dry weeds as come most convenient. At all times noisy and querulous to a proverb, in the breeding-season nothing can exceed the Kiulldeer’s anxiety and alarm; and the incessant cry of 47d/deer, killdeer, or te te de dit and te dit, as they waft them- selves about overhead, or descend and fly around you, is almost deafening.” I gather that im general habits and food this bird combines some of the characteristics of our “ Peewit”’ with those of the other species of the genus Aigialitis. LONDON CHROMG- Files GOLDEN PLOVER, summer. Charadrius pluvialis, Linn. GOLDEN PLOVER. CHARADRIUS PLUVIALIS, Linn. Charadrius pluvialis, Linn. S. N. i. p. 254 (1766); Naum. Kili. p. 221; Hewitson, i. p. 291; Yarr. ed. 4, iii. p. 271; Dresser, vii. p. 435. Charadrius auratus, Nawm. vii. p. 138. Pluvialis aurea, Macg. iv. p. 94. Pluvier doré, French; Gold-Regenpfeifer, German ; Chor- lito, Spanish. This bird is too well known to require many details at my hands, although it is very possible that in the summer plumage shown in the figure here given it may not be so familiar to some of my readers as in the plainer garb of autumn and winter, when the lower parts are more or less white and spotless. The Golden Plover nests on the moorlands of the three kingdoms, generally at a considerable clevation, the eggs, of which the full complement is four, are very beautiful, of a warm yellow stone-colour, profusely blotched with very dark purple or black. The whistle of this bird is very musical and sweet, though somewhat mournful. In autumn the Golden Plovers leave the high moors, and are to be met with, sometimes in very large numbers, on our flat coasts, as well as casually on open grass and ploughed lands, all over the country. Worms, small snails, and grubs are the favourite food of these pretty birds, but in captivity they will gradually take to a vegetable diet, upon which they thrive well. The flesh of the Golden Plover is held in high and well- deserved estimation. ‘(huweyy) Boieuio ejoigyenbs ‘AGAOTdI AMAD 149q ‘eA00y ‘AM *OUFTY GREY PLOVER. SQUATAROLA CINEREA (Fleming). Squatarola cinerea, Fleming, Brit. An. p. 111 (1828). Charadrius squatarola, Naum. vii. p. 249, xiil. p. 230, Pluvialis squatarola, Macg. iv. p. 86. Squatarola helvetica, Yarr. ed. 4, iii. p. 278; Dresser, vii. p. 455. Vanneau-Pluvier, French; Grauer Regenpfeiffer, German ; Redoblin, Chorlito plateado, Spanish. This beautiful species is only known to me as a bird of passage on the shores of our own islands, of many parts of the Mediterranean, and certain marshy coast- districts of Spain outside of the Straits of Gibraltar. I found it in large numbers on the lower Guadalquivir during the first fortnight of May 1872, consorting with myriads of Knots, and many other waders. Almost all of the specimens then obtained by our party had assumed the full summer plumage represented in the Plate. In general habits the Grey Plover closely resembles the better-known Gclden Plover, and con- siderable confusion has been caused amongst English sportsmen in Ireland by the fact that the natives of that island almost invariably apply the term ‘“ Grey” to the latter species to distinguish it from the Peewit, which, throughout Ireland, is known as “Green” Plover. In my experience the present species is seldom to be met with during its stay in our country at any great distance from salt water, though, in common with most maritime birds, it occasionally straggles into inland _ localities. In the south of Spain we found the Grey Plovers very tame and fearless, but in the autumn, on our own coasts, they are, as a rule, more wary than the Golden Plover. To those who are not acquainted with this species, I may mention that it 1s at once to be distinguished from the Golden Plover (to which it bears a considerable superficial resemblance in shape and winter plumage) by the presence of a hind toe and the black axillaries or under wing-feathers; it is also a somewhat larger and heavier bird, and the note is very distinct from the well- known plaintive whistle of the species last named. I have noticed a peculiar habit im the Grey Plover that I do not find recorded by other authors,—that of occa- sionally throwing complete somersaults in the air in the fashion of the Roller (Coracias garrulus). I cannot conclude this article without a reference to Mr. H. Seebohm’s most graphic and interesting account of his experiences on the breeding-grounds of the Grey Plover in the valley of Petchora during the summer of 1875, and the success that he and his companion, Mr. Harvie-Brown, met with in their search for the nests, eggs, and young of this species. A full and most absorbingly fascinating record of this ornithological triumph can be found in vol. ii. of Mr. Seebohm’s ‘ History of British Birds.’ The Grey Plover supports the confinement of an aviary fairly well; the drawing for the accompanying Plate was taken from a bird that has passed two years in my possession at Lilford. ysyog ‘SileS[NA snyijeue pA ‘LIM@Ad 10 DONIMdVT ‘uljiog OATH “AA ‘OUFTT LAPWING or PEEWIT. VANELLUS VULGARIS, Bechst. Vanellus vulgaris, Bechstein, Ornith. Tasch. p. 313 (1803) ; Yarr. ed. 4, ii. p. 283; Dresser, vii. p. 545. Charadrius vanellus, Naum. vil. p. 269. Vanellus cristatus, Macg. iv. p. 133; Hewitson, ii. p. 301. Vanneau huppé, French; Kiebitz, German; Ave fria, Spanish. Under the two names given above, and that of Green Plover, the present species is so well known throughout the British Islands that any lengthened notice on my part would be quite superfluous. One of the most remarkable characteristics of the Peewit is its affection for particular spots for nesting; several instances have come to my knowledge of pairs of this species continu- ing to nest annually on what had been open commons or grazing-lands after they were not only brought under cultivation, but cut up into small enclosures divided by quick-set fences. Although these birds congregate in the autumn and winter in marshy places, and occasion- ally in vast flocks on the sea-shore, they may, roughly speaking, be said to nest almost anywhere, and a high and dry fallow-field is quite as likely for what are generally known as “ Plover’s eggs” as the low-lying meadows, or even the open moor-land. Fears are often expressed in the newspapers and elsewhere as to the probable extinction of this species by the high prices that its eggs will always command in our markets; but I imagine that most owners of land upon which any considerable number of Peewits breed have found out that by taking the eggs on a regular system, always allowing the birds to sit and rear one brood of young, an occasional “jubilee” and protection of the birds themselves, they can always make sure of a profitable ege-harvest without any detriment to the stock. Though very bold and fearless of man during the breeding- season, the Peewit at other times is a wary bird, and certainly runs little risk of extinction by fair means. In certain parts of England this bird may be fairly con- sidered as a vernal visitor, arriving in March and taking its departure in October; but, taking our islands under consideration “en bloc,” it is perhaps best described as a partial migrant that may be found in certain places at all times of year, and there is no doubt that we are occasionally visited by large flocks of Peewits from the continent. There is a story that many Rook’s eggs are sold as those of this species in our markets; but I can hardly believe that many of our country-people would risk their necks or limbs in climbing to obtain eggs the sale of which must at all events be very uncertain, especially when the genuine articles may be had for the finding and picking up, and, although no doubt Rook’s eges may be very palatable, I must say that I consider that any one ignorant enough to purchase them as “‘Plover’s eges”’ fully deserves to be “ so/d”’ himself. ee ans TURNSTONE. STREPSILAS INTERPRES (Linn.). Tringa interpres, Linn. S. N. 1. p. 248 (1766). Strepsilas interpres, Naum. vii. p. 303; Macg. iv. p. 143; Hewitson, 1. p. 303; Yarr. ed. 4, il. p. 289; Dresser, aad Vil. p. 555. Le Tourne-pierre, French; Steinwdlzer, Mornell, German ; Vuelve-piedras, Spanish. This very pretty species is to be met with on various parts of our coasts throughout the year, although the nest has never as yet been discovered in the United Kingdom. I have myself observed the Turnstone in small numbers in June and July on the west coast of Ireland, but it is generally known on our shores as a bird of double passage; many, however, remain through- out the winter in favourable localities. This bird, when not associating (as it often does) with other shore-birds, is very tame and fearless of man, and may be closely observed as it searches for small marine animals amongst shingle and sea-weed. The Turnstone breeds in Northern Europe; but as I have never visited any of its ascertained nesting-places, I leave the description of its nest and eggs to other authors. In captivity this bird thrives remarkably well ; it is very active in pursuit of winged insects, and fre- quently perches. The note is a clear piping whistle. “UMIOG O.A019 “Ay OUT (uury) saidiayur seypisdoayg ‘ANOLSNUNL curpleg ‘aaetg “AA “OUTTT ung ‘snSeyenso sndoj}curseyy eel WES) El ©) AaHHOLVYO-—AAaLSAO sles OYSTER-CATCHER or SEA-PIE. HA{MATOPUS OSTRALEGUS, Linn. Hzematopus ostralegus, Linn. S. N. i. p. 257 (1766); Naum. vii. p. 825; Macg. iv. p. 152; Hewitson, ii. p. 305; Yarr. ed. 4, iii. p. 294; Dresser, vu. p. 567. Huitrier pie, French; Austern-Fischer, Austern-Leser, Meer-Elster, German; Ostrero, Spanish. This handsome and conspicuous bird is well known on most parts of our coasts. It is with some reluctance that I have followed other authors in adopting the name at the head of this article, for oysters can hardly be said to require catching, and the bird most assuredly could not open the shells of a genuine “native”? or other oyster, admirably adapted as its beak is for prising limpets from the rocks and for breaking open the com- paratively weak armour of mussels. The Sea-pie lays its three or four eggs generally in slight depressions on sandy or shingly shores close above high-water mark, but is often also to be found breeding far from the sea on the stony banks of lakes and rivers. The parent birds are very clamorous when the eggs are near hatching or hatched, and will try all the dodges of the Peewit to draw the attention of an intruder away from their treasures to themselves. In the autumn and winter months these birds collect in large flocks, and, with their loud piping whistle and brilliantly contrasted plumage, very much enliven many flat stretches of coast which, without bird-lfe, would be very dreary and monotonous of aspect. This bird thrives excellently well in captivity. i 2 AVOCET. Recurvirostra avocetta, Lenn. AVOCET. RECURVIROSTRA AVOCETTA, Linn. Recurvirostra avocetta, Linn. S. N. i. p. 256 (1766) ; Naum. vill. p. 213, xiii. p. 245; Macy. iv. p. 806; Hewitson, ii. p. 839; Yarr. ed. 4, iii. p. 299; Dresser, vii. p. 577. Avocette & nuque noire, French; Avosette, German ; Avoceta, Spanish. This singular and handsome bird was formerly a very common summer visitor to many of the marshes of our eastern and southern counties, but owing to drainage, cultivation, and merciless persecution, it has long ceased to breed in England, and may now be justly considered as a rare bird in all parts of our islands. My own acquaintance with the Avocet is confined to Southern Europe; it appears in great numbers on the great marshes of the lower Guadalquivir in April, and breeds, for it can hardly be said to zes¢, on the vast expanses of dry sand and mud on both sides of that famous river ; I have also met with it at Santander in November. The eggs are four in number, of a yellowish-drab ground-colour, thickly blotched and spotted with black ; many sittings are to be found on a comparatively small space, and the clamour of the birds when disturbed at their breeding-places is almost deafening, consisting of a continued series of shrill yelps, from which the Avocet derived some of its most common English designations, such as “ Yelper” and “ Clinker.” Although the Avocet is, on the whole, a wary bird, I have frequently approached to within a very few yards of small parties feeding on the muds, by sailing or drifting down upon them in a boat; their method of feeding is by sidelong scoops in the soft mud, which they sift with a sort of nibbling action between their mandibles; they are very active on foot, and excellent swimmers, continually shifting from place to place and uttering a pleasant clear whistle very different from their discordant cries when alarmed. I could never succeed in keeping Avocets alive in captivity for more than a few weeks, but I know that they have been so kept for a considerable time, and if I could obtain young birds I should have little doubt of success. The flight of the Avocet is very strong and well sustained; as may well be imagined, a flock of these birds on wing has a most remarkable appearance, and they form one of the most striking of the many ornithic ornaments of the otherwise dreary wastes of the Anda- lucian marisma. The flesh of the Avocet is tolerable “faute de mieux.” 1 3 BLACK-WINGED STILT. Himantopus melanopterus (Meyer). oO) BLACK-WINGED STILT. HIMANTOPUS MELANOPTERUS, Meyer. Himantopus melanopterus, Meyer, Temm. Man. d’Orn. ii. p- 528 (1820) ; Macg. iv. p. 312; Hewitson, ii. p. 341. Charadrius himantopus, Linn. 8. N. i. p. 255. Hypsibates himantopus, Nawm. viii. p. 191, xiii. p. 244. Himantopus candidus, Yarr. ed. 4, iii. p. 8305; Dresser, vii. p. 587. Echasse blanche, French; Stelzenliiufer, Strandreiter, German ; Ciguéfuela, Spanish. The Stilt is an irregular and uncommon summer visitor to our islands, and has occurred in Scotland and Ireland as well as in England; but, as far as I am aware, there is no existing record of its having ever been found nesting in any part of the United Kingdom. In Southern Europe it is locally abundant in the breeding-season, and occurs as an occasional straggler to most parts of that continent. The Stilt nests in wet marshes, very often building actually on the surface of shallow pools amongst the aquatic vegetation that covers them, but more fre- quently on the mud of the open marsh; the nests, of course, vary in solidity according to their situation, but are generally formed of dry coarse grass and small pieces of twigs drifted on to the marshes during the winter floods. The eggs are four, and, except in their ground-colour (which is much of the same tone as that of the Avocet), greatly resemble those of our well- known Peewit—/he “ Plover ” of ege-commerce. I have always found this bird very easy of approach ; in the breeding-season it is difficult to drive them from their nesting-places, over which they hover with loud outcries ; and I have frequently ridden to within a few feet of Stilts wading in a few inches of water, and busily engaged in picking up small insects from the weeds, or snapping at them in the air. In Spain I have found the stomachs and throats of these birds crammed with what I believe to have been mosquitos, or some very nearly allied and probably equally pesti- lent insects, and on this score alone this pretty bird is well worthy of protection, more especially as its flesh is worthless, and its tameness so great that the most rabid collector can obtain more specimens than he can reason- ably require in a very few minutes. I am only too well aware of the futility of any appeal to collectors of British birds, who cannot be satisfied except with victims slaughtered at home; but perchance my re- marks may induce a certain amount of moderation on the part of English collectors in Spain, where I can assure them that it is urgently needed. ‘ulog ‘OAGI “AV OURT Cum) snieotpny sndoreyeyd shoud wunjgnn pup saununs ‘FHONWIWHdA AARAUD ae GREY PHALAROPE. PHALAROPUS FULICARIUS (Linn.). Tringa fulicaria, Linn. S. N. i. p. 249 (1766). Phalaropus platyrhynchus, Nawm. viii. p. 255. Phalaropus lobatus, Macy. iv. p. 284; Hewitson, il. p. 368. Phalaropus fulicarius, Yarr. ed. 4, iii. p. 310; Dresser, vii. p. 605. Phalarope dentelé, French. Although this beautiful and very interesting species occasionally visits our Islands in large numbers, my acquaintance with it in life is confined to having seen two on the north coast of Spain in the winter of 1878— one on the mud-flats of the harbour of Santander; the other, swimming almost under the bows of my yacht, in the Bay of Biscay, at about five miles off Rivadesella. With very few exceptions the recorded occurrences of the Grey Phalarope to our country have taken place in the autumn and winter, in the grey dress of that season, but I find a record in ‘Yarrell’ of “a beautifully marked adult bird, which was killed in Wiltshire in August, and retained at that time a great portion of the true red colours of the breeding-season or summer plumage.” The visits of this species to our Islands appear to be much more frequent on the eastern and southern coasts than elsewhere, but there are few English counties in which stragglers have not been occasionally found. Mr. J. H. Gurney, jun., has recorded the slaughter of five hundred Grey Phalaropes between August 20th and October 8th, 1866; of these about half were obtained in the county of Sussex. The year 1886 was also remarkable for the numbers of this species that visited our southern coasts; fourteen were brought from the neighbourhood of Christchurch, Hants, to Mr. Ed. Hart, the well-known taxidermist, in October and November of that year, and a very great number recorded from other places. The singular tameness of these pretty birds has been noticed by almost every author who has personally become acquainted with them, and is fully verified by my very limited experience, as above- mentioned. The attitude of the bird, seen by us at sea, reminded me much of a Teal, with the head and neck drawn closely in and slightly thrown back. The breeding-haunts of the Grey Phalarope are the circum- polar regions; the eggs, four in number, are of a ereenish yellow, thickly spotted with dark brown, and are said to be laid in June in slight depressions in grass or on shingle, with very little, if any, nest. In this family of birds the females are larger and more bril- liantly coloured than the males, and the contrast between the bright colours of the summer-plumage and the sober erey and white of winter is peculiarly striking. RED-NECKED PHALAROPE. PHALAROPUS HYPERBOREUS (Linn.). Tringa hyperborea, Linn. 8. N.1. p. 249. Phalaropus hyperboreus, Hewitson, ii. p. 870; Yarr. ed. 4, ili. p. 815; Dresser, vii. p. 597. Lobipes hyperboreus, Macg. iv. p. 291. Phalaropus angustirostris, Naum. viil. p. 240. Phalarope cendre, French; Der schmalschnibige Wasser- treter, German. The Red-necked Phalarope is of very uncertain occur- rence in England, and then only at the seasons of migration in spring and autumn. On some of the Outer Hebrides and of the Orkney and Shetland Islands a few pairs still remain to breed, but in sadly decreasing numbers. This bird has a very wide range over the northern hemisphere and is said to be especially abun- dant in the Arctic Regions of America; thence it migrates southwards in autumn and _ has been recorded even from Chili. A bird, supposed to have been obtained from Whittle- sea Mere, was reported to Lord Lilford and furnished the text of a short note by him on this species in his ‘Birds of Northamptonshire’ (vol. i. p. 35). [Oza (uy) snoaioquadky sndouwspeyg “adOUVIVAHd AUYNOAN-GaA4 “NOONO?D “O!GNLS 4HY "OHLIT-OKOUHO 5G WOODCOCK, SCOLOPAX RUSTICULA, Linn. Scolopax rusticola, Linn. S. N. i. p. 243 (1766). Scolopax rusticula, Naum. viii. p. 361; Yarr. ed. 4, ii. p- 820. Rusticola sylvestris, Macg. iv. p. 386. Scolopax rusticola, Hewitson, ii. p. 848; Dresser, vii. p. 615. Bécasse, French ; Waldschneppe, German ; Chocha, Becada, Gallineta, Sorda, Spanish. It is somewhat difficult to find a fitting word to apply to this well-known bird with regard to its stationary and migratory habits. A great number breed annually in England, Scotland, and Ireland, and many visit us from the continent m autumn and winter, but as yet we seem to be in complete ignorance as to what becomes of our native birds between the time at which they beconie strong on the wing in August and the arrival of the migratory flights in October. It is a certain fact that in many districts m Scotland and England, in which Woodcocks breed, it is difficult to find one between the end of August and the first or second week in October. ‘This species may be found, roughly speaking, through- out Europe and Asia at various seasons, and visits Africa north of the Atlas during the winter months. It is reported on excellent authority as breeding and partially resident in the Canaries, the Azores, and Madeira, UNV] = vpnolysna xedopoog “MIOI G0 0M 1 YAY Img Pp jap dows yy GRY ommnyy *sa.tgy i. BS ’ set 5 1 ys A One : ; , é ar fie - Z =~ ra = . - 7 ie v a 4 % - “ ” : i , 4 i Berlin, Litho, W. Greve, WOODCOCK, Scolopax rusticula, “inn. “Ute '@AGL "AQ OUT unpup vce ‘tofeur xedojoos ‘AdINS AMVLIIOS AO LVAD GREAT or SOLITARY SNIPE. SCOLOPAX MAJOR, J. F. Gmelin. Scolopax major, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. 1. p. 661 (1788) ; Naum. vill. p. 291; Macy. iv. p. 864; Hewitson, ii. p. 351. Gallinago major, Yarr. ed. 4, ii. p. 836; Dresser, vii. p. 631. Grande Becassine, French; Doppel Schnepfe or Grosse Schnepfe, German ; Agachadiza real, Spanish. Although, of course, the title of “Great” is only locally applicable to this species, I prefer that epithet to the more common one of “ Solitary,’ and consider that if the latter distinction is bestowed upon any British Snipe it is the Jack-Snipe that obviously has the first claim thereunto. I imagine, however, that the term “ Solitary ” was originally applied to the present bird either on account of its scarcity in our country or because it is seldom, if ever, found in “ wisps” or flocks as our Common Snipe so frequently is. In places where the last-named species is abundant the word “ Double” is frequently used to distinguish this species ; but this is only a Snipe-shooter’s term, and even less truthfully applicable than ‘ Solitary.” The Great Snipe cannot be considered otherwise than as an accidental and scarce visitor to any part of the British Islands, though, as in the case of all casual visitors, the annual records of capture vary greatly in number ; and I find in ‘ Yarrell’ that 1826 and 1868 were notable for the unusual frequency of this bird. Throughout Europe the Great Snipe is best known as a bird of double passage. It breeds in Norway, Sweden, Russia as far south as Bessarabia, Northern Germany, Denmark, and, if I am not mistaken, occa- sionally in the Netherlands. But as any details with regard to pairing and nesting-habits could here only be quotations from well-known authors, I will merely state that I gather that these habits much resemble those of the Common Snipe. Most of the records of occurrence of this bird in our country have reference to the months of August, September, and October, and, as may be inferred from its summer haunts, it is more commonly met with in our eastern counties than elsewhere. The only bird of this species that I ever saw on wing in England, rose at my feet from a grassy bean-stubble in Northamptonshire whilst I was reloading my muzzle- loader, after a double shot at Partridges, in September 1850. Knowing that the Great Smipe seldom flies to any great distance on first disturbance, I devoted the afternoon to a diligent search for this bird with good dogs; but in vain, and the next that I know of as a Northamptonshire specimen was killed by my late friend and neighbour, Mr. George Hunt, of Wadenkoe, on September 13, 1880, in one of our meadows. To the Ionian Islands and the adjacent mainland the Great Snipe is by no means an uncommon vernal Gt visitor, generally appearing in the first fortnight of May, and evincing a very remarkable predilection for certain small areas of, in many cases, unattractive ground. In Corfu, for instance, I was directed to look for this bird in a certain patch of currant-vines not far from the town, on a stony, dry soil, as soon as the Quails had come in, and from the beginning of May till about the middle of that month I never visited this spot without finding two or more of these Snipes ; five was the greatest number that I ever met with there in one day. I do not wish it to be understood that our bird is by any means exclusively addicted to dry localities, as I shot several amongst the swampy currant- vines in the well-known Val di Roppa, a famous Snipe- ground at about seven miles distance from the town of Corfu, as well as in marshes in other parts of Europe, but on the vernal migration in the Mediterranean countries it would be difficult, in my experience, to say where one might not “ happen upon”? a Great Snipe. In the low-lying maize-fields of Epirus we frequently found a few of these Snipes in September, but as frequently searched for them at that season without success. In Cyprus I shot several near Larnaca in April and May. I killed one and flushed another on the east coast of Spain in March, met with several in the marshes of Sicily during the same month; and here ends my personal acquaintance with the subject of this article. I quote from my notes in the ‘ Northamptonshire Natural History Society’s Journal’ as to the habits of this species:—This Snipe will often run before a dog for some distance before taking wing, and is usually very tame, rising with apparent reluctance and offering the easiest of shots. If not shot at, the Great Snipe generally flies low for a short distance, rises for a few yards into the air, and pitches straight down to the ground. I never saw one of these birds mount to any considerable height in the air or indulge in the erratic flight so frequent with the Common Snipe. On rising, this bird almost always spreads out its tail, and in spring often utters a low croak. In my experience it was exceptional to find one of these birds without another in its immediate neighbourhood, and I have occasionally flushed two simultaneously. The heaviest Great Snipe that I ever saw weighed a fraction over 82 0z.; the lightest that I ever heard of was shot in Cyprus by Dr. H. H. Guillemard in 1888, and only reached 53 0z. The flesh of the Great Snipe, even during the vernal migration, is, in my opinion, much superior to that of Common Snipe or Woodcock during their legitimate season. I was assured by an officer of the Russian army that bags of from fifty to eighty Great Snipes are frequently obtamed by one or two guns in a day im September within easy reach of St. Petersburg ; and another friend has informed me that in May large numbers of these ‘ Royal Snipes ” are to be found in the marshes of the Gulf of Salerno. : De Nigar “UTTLoE, ‘PAO “AM ‘OURIT may Sodeuyjed xedoyoog punoibyong ur hyarwwa jassnt ‘AAINS NOWWOO ¢ G COMMON SNIPE, SCOLOPAX GALLINAGO, Linn. Scolopax gallinago, Linn. S. N. 1. p. 244 (1766) ; Naum. viii. p- 310; Macg. iv. p. 368; Hewitson, i. p. 353. Gallinago ccelestis, Yarr. ed. 4, ui. p. 842; Dresser, vii. p- 641. Bécassine ordinaire, French; Schnepfe, German; Agacha- diza, Agachéna, Laguneja, Spanish. As I believe that this delightful bird breeds more or less commonly in all but a very few counties of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, and is well known throughout Europe, either as a summer or winter visitor, I can hardly expect to add anything of importance to its already well-known history. In the British localities in which it does not breed regularly it generally makes its appearance after the first heavy autumnal rains, and remains in favourable circumstance till driven away by severe weather or the constant persecution of man. In the neighbourhood of Lilford, where a Snipe’s nest is of rare occurrence, although a certain number of these birds breed regularly within the limits of our county, I generally hear of the first Snipe about the end of July, and in wet summers I think that we, as a rule, have more Snipes in our portion of the Nen valley in August and September than at any other time of the year. This, no doubt, is due to the flooding of the fen-districts. In ordinary circum- stance the first noticeable ‘ flights’ of Snipes visit us after the October rains, but these flights have of late years most lamentably diminished in numerical strength, and nowadays a bag of five couples of Snipes in a long day’s walk would be a notable achievement in our meadows. It was not always so, but I think that a proportionate decrease would be confirmed from many of the most favoured localities in the eastern counties of England. In my opinion Snipe-shooting holds the first place in the list of diversions with the gun, and as long as I was able I never lost an opportunity of indulging in it at home or abroad. Accounts of shooting experi- ences at feathered game are apt to weary the general reader, but to any one who delights in vivid description, and excellent advice on such matters, I most strongly recommend the Snipe-shooting details given by Mr. F. B. Simson in his altogether delightful work entitled ‘ Letters on Sport in Eastern Bengal.’ The favourite breeding-grounds of this species are moorlands and undrained sedge-fens, but they often select. comparatively well-drained meadows as nesting- places. ‘The nest is generally pretty well concealed in a tuft of sedge, a tussock of rushes or coarse grass, and consists of a few stalks of bent or the common rush. The eggs, four in number, are generally laid during the first fortnight of April, and hatched in about sixteen days. A second brood is often reared. If the weather is sunny and fine in the early part of March, the Snipe, on rising from the ground, instead of giving forth its > ‘swost4 “uiqes xedojoog uma “TATINS NONWOO NOONO7 ‘olanis 1u¥ OHLI1-c usual well-known “scape,” “scape,” utters a low chuckle (that to my ears is best represented by the words “ chevuck,” “chevick”), and suddenly darts up into the air, often to a very great height, and flies in wide circles, now and then stooping like a Falcon towards the ground and producing a prolonged sound that much resembles the bleat of a goat. Naturalists have for years exercised their pens in controversy as to the meaus by which this very peculiar sound is produced ; my opportunities for observation have not been very many, and I am not disposed to enter the lists as a disputant on this question, but I feel quite convinced that the sound in question is not vocal. Whatever may be its origin it has procured for the Snipe the local name of ‘“ Heather-bleater,’ ‘ Air-goat,” and other names of similar signification. I have weighed a great number of Snipes, killed in various parts of England, Scotland, and Ireland, between the beginning of Sep- tember and the end of February, and generally find them to average heavier in December than in any other month; the heaviest that I have weighed pulled down 6 oz. fair weight; but I consider any weight above 5 oz. as exceptional, and should fix the average weight at from 4 oz. to 43. Snipes, however, put on and lose weight in a very short time, and in a bag of ten or twelve couples the chances are that some birds may be found of little more than 3 oz., and of all intermediate weights up to 4% oz. It is a common saying that a Snipe is not worth shooting till he has had a frost through him, and there is much truth in this, for so long as the weather is mild and open these birds ij subsist chiefly upon insects. It is difficult to account for the sudden appearance or disappearance of these birds in various places without any perceptible reason from change of weather, or exhaustion of food-supply, but “here to-day and gone to-morrow” is perhaps more strictly applicable to the Snipe than to any other British bird. I have had occasionally very good sport at Snipes in various parts of Ireland, as well as in Tunis, Sardinia, and Sicily, but I never met with such an abundance of these birds anywhere as in the marshes of Epirus in the winter of 1857. The figure in the background of the accompanying Plate was taken from a specimen of the large russet- coloured variety killed in Ireland by Lieut.-Col. L. H. Irby, who kindly sent it to me “in the flesh.” With regard to this variety of the Common Snipe, Mr. H. Saunders, in the 4th ed. ‘ Yarrell,’ vol. it. p. 347, writes with reference to a Snipe recorded by the late Mr. Lubbock as having weighed nearly eight ounces : “Mr. Lubbock’s bird and one shot by Mr. Stevenson, appear to have belonged to a large form of a russet- brown hue, which has also been noticed by the late Mr. Rodd in Cornwall, and has occurred in many other parts of England. Mr. Gould was at one time inclined to consider that it might be entitled to specific distinction, in which case he proposed for it the name of Gallinago russata.” 1 have a specimen of this variety, that was, if I recollect rightly, obtained many years ago in Sussex, and is considerably larger than a specimen of the Solitary Snipe, of about the average dimensions, that is cased with it. ‘UTpleg "eAG.LD “AV ‘OT9TT uuny “eynuyyjes xedojoag ‘ddINS WOwWwr JACK SNIPE. SCOLOPAX GALLINULA, Linn. Scolopax gallinula, Linn, S. N. i. p. 244 (1766) ; Naum. viii. p. 344, xiii. p. 246; Macg. iv. p. 380; Hewitson, ii. p. 355. Gallinago gallinula, Yarr. ed, 4, i. p. 351; Dresser, vii. p. 653. Bécassine sourde, French; Kleine Schnepfe, German ; Agachadiza sorda, Gachona chica, Spanish. To those of my readers who carry the gun, and are able to indulge in the fascinating sport of Snipe- shooting, a description of the habits of this pretty but somewhat irritating little wanderer will, I fear, be superfluous. However, as ‘‘ Jack” is a British bird by right of abundant habitual winter residence in our Islands, and some of my subscribers are not content with my pictures without some accompanying notes, I will state what 1 know in this instance, although I am well aware that I can adduce nothing that has not already been repeatedly recorded. It is hardly neces- sary to refer to the belief that was prevalent in my boy- hood, not only amongst gamekeepers, but also in the minds of many of thew employers, that this bird was the male of the Common Snipe, but it certainly is remarkable that in spite of many well-authenticated records of the occurrence of our bird in summer, and many tales of the finding of its nest and eggs, there is hitherto no proof that it has ever bred in any part of the United Kingdom. The breeding-haunts of the Jack Snipe are the morasses of the extreme north of Europe, and an interesting account by John Wolley of the discovery of several nests and eggs, and the behaviour of the birds at their breeding-places in Lapland, is given in the 4th ed. of ‘Yarrell.’ We are there informed that during the breeding-season this bird makes a “drumming” noise like the cantering of a horse over a hard hollow road. In the district of Northampton- shire with which I am best acquainted, the Jack Snipe generally appears during the third week of September ; I have one record for August 15, but none for any day between that and the 7th of the following month. The latest lingerer of which I have heard in our neigh- bourhood was sprung by one’ of our gamekeepers on May 18th, 1891; with this solitary exception I have no record of appearance after the end of April. This species differs from the Common Snipe in its comparatively solitary habits, its usual reluctance to take wing, its short flights when disturbed, and its endurance of severe frosts that drive the latter birds from all their favourite haunts. A Jack Snipe flushed one day from a particular spot may be found again there or thereabouts every day throughout the winter months, unless relentlessly pur- sued, and many amusing stories are told of a Jack Snipe having afforded sport through the season to an unskilful shooter. I cannot say that I considered these little birds as specially difficult to hit in my shooting days, but I have been repeatedly baulked by their dropping to the ground again before they were far enough off to shoot at. As a rule the Jack Snipe loves good covert of sedge or reeds, but I have not infrequently detected him upon muddy spots almost entirely bare of vege- tation. On one occasion I flushed one of these birds that, instead of pitching again within a short distance, joined a flock of Peewits, and went quite out of sight with them. I have found Jack Snipes in all the Mediterranean marshes that I have visited, and was surprised to find a few lingering in Cyprus late in April; one of these birds uttered a low hollow note that I had only heard once before in the case of a “Jack ”’ flushed on the bank of our river at home in the month of March. Our bird ranges to the southward as far as Ceylon and the Blue Nile in the winter. In captivity the Jack Snipe thrives well if constantly sup- plied with small earthworms, of which he will consume almost incredible numbers. ‘(uyauy 7 f) snoesta3 snydureyso1eyy ‘AdINS GHLSVYaadae—-adaa “urpreg ‘aaerg +44 “OUT RED-BREASTED SNIPE. MACRORHAMPHUS GRISEUS (J: FE, Gmelin). Scolopax grisea, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. i. p. 658 (1788). Macrorhamphus griseus, Macy. iv. p. 275; Yarr. ed. 4, ii. p- 357; Dresser, viii. p. 187. This bird is an occasional and uncommon straggler to our Islands from the other side of the Atlantic. The first recorded occurrence in England took place in Devonshire in October 1801, and was made known to the public by Col. Montagu in his ‘ Ornithological Dictionary.’ About a dozen more occurrences are on record with regard to England, two or three in Scotland ; and the principal figure in the accompanying Plate represents an Irish specimen, that was most obligingly lent to me by its possessor, Mr. F. Coburn, who, in the ‘Zoologist’ for February 1894, refers to it in the following words :—‘‘ On October 11th, 1893, I received from County Tipperary, Ireland, an adult female of the Red-breasted Snipe (Macrorhamphus griseus) changing to winter plumage. Professor Newton, who has examined this bird, gives its dimensions as—bill 2°65, tarsus 1:5, wing 6. It will be seen that these measure- ments closely approach those of the supposed western form, but it seems to me that eastern and western forms cannot be with certainty distinguished.”— (Signed) F. Coburn (Holloway Head, Birmingham). Never having crossed the Atlantic, I can only quote from other writers with regard to this species, whose habits seem in almost every respect to resemble those of the true Sandpipers more than those of the Snipes. An American author states that the breeding-range of this bird extends, without interruption, from the borders of Lake Superior to the shores of the Arctic Sea. It is common on passage on many parts of the Atlantic coast of the United States, but is seldom seen inland except in its breeding-haunts. In autumn and winter it passes through the Southern States to Central and South America, as far as Chili on the west and Brazil on the east, visiting Cuba regularly and the Bermudas more rarely. During its stay it flies in flocks, sometimes very high, and has then a loud and shrill whistle, making many evolutions over the marshes, —forming, dividing, and reuniting. They frequent the sand-bars and mud-flats at low water in search of food, and allow of close approach by boat, hence they are frequently shot down in great numbers; so closely do they occasionally congregate, that eighty-five have been killed at one discharge of a musket. I have quoted almost the whole of these notes from Nuttall and the Ath edition of ‘ Yarrell’s British Birds,’ BROAD-BILLED SANDPIPER. LIMICOLA PLATYRHYNCHA (Temm.). Tringa platyrincha (misprint), Temm. Man. d’Orn. p. 398 (1815). Limicola pygmea, Naum. viil. p. 271, xiil. p. 245. Tringa platyrhyncha, Macg. iv. p. 224; Hewitson, ii. p. 359. Limicola platyrhyncha, Yarr. ed. 4, ii. p. 862 ; Dresser, vii. p. 3. Bécasseau platyrhynque, French ; Plattschnabliger Wasser- treter, German. As this is a bird that I never saw alive, I will only state that it is of rare occurrence in our country, that it breeds in Scandinavia, and migrates in autumn to the shores of the Mediterranean. For further details I refer my readers to our standard ornithological authorities, merely adding that I have a specimen of this species in my collection that was shot by Mr. W. Burton near Rye on August 13th, 1887. (wuat) eyoudyssyerd epoormmry ‘AUHdIMGNYVS GCATTIE-aGyoug 9 PATH “MA OUINT PECTORAL SANDPIPER. TRINGA MACULATA, Vieill. Tringa maculata, Vieillot, Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat. xxxiv. p. 465 (1819); Yarr. ed. 4, iii. p. 8368; Dresser, viii. p. ll. Tringa pectoralis, Macg. iy. p. 190. This is an American species, of whose occurrence in our islands from twenty to thirty instances have been recorded at various seasons of the year; it is very pro- bable that it may often have passed undistinguished amongst a “ bunch” of Dunlins killed by a coast-gunner, as it has a certain general similarity to that species in the plumage of autumn and winter; but the present bird is larger than the Dunlin, and the legs and toes, which are always nearly black in that species, are said to be of a yellowish colour in the Pectoral Sandpiper. This bird is stated to range, according to the season, from the arctic regions of North America to Patagonia and Chili. The specimen figured in the Plate is a young male killed at Spurn Head on October 2, 1888, and very kindly sent to me for the purposes of the present publi- cation by Mr. John Cordeaux. moi “eyetnoem eSurry ‘AAdIdGNVYS TwHNOLOgd ~ “uydog ‘8A0IH “A “OUT Vv lied ei PECTORAL SANDPIPER. TRINGA MACULATA, Vieill. A subscriber (who does not wish that his name should appear here) has most obligingly presented me with a second Plate of this species, taken from a specimen shot by himself in Scilly in 1870, and now (stuffed) in his possession. ya Seyepnoew edusay “AAdIdGNYS TYHOLOFd Og ‘AARID “AL OUDT ~~ — - ys a WHE i ’ ‘ as | - er: ¥, : sil y ~ ? i . ru a ( $e; ‘i v * . 4 7 ’ s é Nes 2 ¥ taal i = i Pi Sale e —~— “ { = BONAPARTE'S SANDPIPER. TRINGA FUSCICOLLIS, Vieillot. Tringa fuscicollis, Vieill. Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat. xxxiv. p- 461; Dresser, vill. p. 15; Yarr. ed. 4, iv. p. 3738. Tringa schinzi, Macg. iv. p. 222 (nec Brehm); Yarr. ed. 2, lil. p. 74. Tringa bonapartii, Schlegel, Rev. Crit. p. Ixxxix. About a dozen instances of the occurrence of this American species have been recorded, most of them in places in our southern counties. It is not known to have occurred on continental Europe. In America, its true home, it breeds abundantly in the Arctic Regions and after that season migrates south- wards to spread over nearly the whole of Central and South America, reaching Cape Horn and the Falkland Islands. [OsSa] yoyvory ‘S\joojosny BAU “Nad Td INVS SALavd VNO’ “NOONO ‘ONONLS AuUY OHLIT-ONOUHO uuyy “eurdye eda y, ‘NITINNG vuytog, ‘90TH “MOUNT 2 ay DUNLIN. TRINGA ALPINA, Linn. Tringa alpina, Linn. S. N. i. p. 249 (1766); Naum. vii. p. 426; Yarr. ed. 4, iii. p. 877; Dresser, viii. p. 21. Tringa cinclus, Macg. iv. p. 203. Tringa variabilis, Hewitson, ii. p. 864. Bécasseau variable, French ; Alpen-Strandliufer, German ; Churrilla, Correplaya, Spanish. This lively little Sandpiper is perhaps the most common of our British shore-birds, and under one or other of its various a//ases—Stint, Ox-bird, Purre, Mud-Lark—is probably well known to most of my readers. Although the Dunlin is to be met with at almost all seasons of the year upon all parts of our coasts, the majority of our home-bred birds are reared upon inland moors and swamps, frequently far imland, and at a very considerable height above the sea, never, so far as I am aware, upon the stretches of shingle or the sand-hills that are the nurseries of the Ringed Plover, the Sea-Pie, and the Terns. I have met with the Dunlin in early August in the centre of Scotland on the water-shed of the tributaries of the Tay and the Spey at certainly more than 1500 feet above the sea, and at the same time of year on the high grouse- moors in the neighbourhood of Halifax; and in July on an elevated district of Dartmoor—in all of which localities the birds had apparently bred, though I was never on their nesting-grounds early enough in the year to find eggs or even unfledged young. A very great number of this species breed on the Scottish moorlands, a considerable number in some of our English counties, and more than seem to be known of in the north-west of Ireland. In early autumn these little birds come down to the sea-shores in thousands, and remain throughout the winter months, only shifting their quarters according to the weather. The migration of the Dunlin is said to extend as far to the south as the Mozambique coast, and its breeding- range in the Old World to extend from Iceland and the Hebrides to Behring’s Straits ; it has also a vast range on the other side of the Atlantic. I have met with vast numbers of Dunlins both at Santander in May and November, and in Andalucia during the former month ; but I never had the good fortune to meet with a nest in Spain, as Mr. A. Chapman is recorded to have done in the lower marisma of the Guadalquivir. On most parts of the Mediterranean coasts that are suited to its habits this bird is to be found more or less abundantly during the winter months, and locally in tens of thousands on the northward migration in April and May. In England I have frequently met with this species in Northamptonshire in the valley of the Nene from August to April and May; but on the autumnal migration it rarely appears in our district unless the &% meadows are swampy from floods; in these cases a few Duulins are generally to be seen consorting with flocks of Peewits or Starlings. In the spring I look upon it as a pretty constant though irregular migrant in our district, and on one occasion I found it in some numbers frequenting the banks of the Isis above Oxford in May. Much has been written by more able and practised pens than mine upon the curious effect produced by the wheelings and twistings of a flock of Dunlins on wing, as they present the upper or underside to a spectator. It often happens that in the winter months, against a grey sea and sky-line, the eye loses hold (if I may be allowed the expression) of the flock, and is suddenly startled by a broad flash of snowy white as the birds turn their underparts to the observer on changing their course. In the summer these evolutions have not to me quite the same effect, as the dark upper plumage at that season allows the eye to follow the flock more readily than when the birds are more or less ervey and white. To see the “shifts” of the Dunlins to perfection, however, the assistance of a Falcon or Merlin is invaluable; even the Sparrow-Hawk will keep the flocks pretty lively at times. When in small parties Dunlins are usually easy of approach, but the larger the flock the more wary they become. In my opinion the flesh of this little bird in the autumn is by no means to be despised, though I would not compare it with that of the Jack-Snipe, under whose name it is frequently offered and sold. I believe also that the egos of the Dunlin very generally did duty in “ British” collections for those of the former bird until the inde- fatigable researches of the late Mr. John Wolley in Lapland taught us the entire difference between the productions of the two species in question, and proved satisfactorily that no British egg of the Jack-Snipe had ever been seen. I have kept a few Dunlins in our aviaries ; but have found that they either refuse to feed, and pine to death in a few days, or feed so ravenously that the same result ensues from the exactly opposite cause—plethora. The ordinary note of the Dunlin is a piping whistle ; but I have been assured that in the pairing-season the male “sings on wing like a Lark.” I find, however, that my standard authority only credits our bird at that season with the utterance of a prolonged and somewhat monotonous “ dwee.” LITTLE STINT. TRINGA MINUTA, Leisler. Tringa minuta, Leisier, Nachtrage zu Bechstein’s Naturg. Deutschl. pp. 74-81 (1812) ; Naum. vii. p. 891; Macg. iv. p. 227; Yarr. ed. 4, i. p. 886; Dresser, vii. p. 29. Bécasseau minule, French; Kleiner Strandliufer, German ; Churrilla chica, Picaruica, Spanish. This species is an irregular autumnal visitor to our coasts, more common in the eastern counties of England than elsewhere, though seldom very abundant in any part of our islands. I have very little personal acquaint- ance with this Sandpiper, having only met with it occasionally in small numbers on the shores of the Mediterranean ; in general habits it closely resembles the well-known Dunlin, as it does also in appearance, but the present species is considerably smaller, and does not assume the black breast-plumage so character- istic of the former bird in summer. The Little Stint breeds in the extreme north-east of Europe and in Siberia, and in winter ranges to the extreme south of Africa and over the entire Indian region. Messrs. H. Seebohm and Harvie Brown were the first to take the egos of this bird in Europe, near the mouth of the river Petchora, in July 1875. ‘waysee7T “eyo Surry SINILS @ILLIT “UyLOg ‘ACID “AA *OUI}T SS ee Poy yi ‘ra|ste7] ‘TYOuMMID} eV BUILT, “LNILS S AONIWWaL “uTpieg ‘OASID ‘M “ONITT v pee ; TEMMINCK’S STINT. TRINGA TEMMINCKT, Leisler. Tringa temminckii, Leisler, Nachtrige zu Bechst. Naturg. Deutschl. pp. 63-73 (1812); Naum. vii. p. 483, xiii. p- 234; Macy. iv. p. 232; Hewitson, ii. p. 362. Tringa temmincki, Yarr. ed. 4, ill. p. 898 ; Dresser, viii. p. 45. Bécasseau Temminck, French. This little Sandpiper is an irregular and somewhat rare visitor to Great Brita; most of its recorded occurrences have taken place on the autumnal migration, but it has also been observed and frequently obtained, especially in Norfolk, on the return passage in May. The only fresh specimens of this bird that I have ever handled were shot by my friend Lt.-Col. L. H. Irby in the “ Marisma”’ of the Guadalquivir in February 1882, and I cannot say with certainty that I ever saw Tem- minck’s Stint alive. The breeding-grounds of this species extend, according to the 4th ed. of ‘ Yarrell,’ from the northern districts of Norway, and over a great part of Sweden, across Northern Russia, throughout Asiatic Siberia to the north of the forest-growth, as far as the shores of Bering’s Straits. On migration it ranges as far to the southward as Ceylon and Senegambia. Wolley, who first made known the breeding-habits and eges of this species, found it sparsely in several localities north of the Bothnian Gulf, and tells us that it generally nests upon grassy banks, and pastures by the waterside, and seems to delight in the neighbour- hood of houses; he remarks upon its extraordinary tameness, and alludes to its constant trilling note uttered both when on wing, and from its standing place, and says that this note slightly resembles that of the Grasshopper Warbler. The nest is a simple arrangement of a few short bits of hay in a little saucer- shaped hollow, generally not far from the water’s edge, but sometimes in the middle of a meadow. ‘The eggs in 1854 were laid about midsummer day. I quote the above details from Hewitson’s ‘ Eggs of British Birds,’ 3rd ed. vol. 1. p. 3862. Col. Irby found Temminck’s Stint commonly in small parties during the winter, in the neighbourhood of Gibraltar, and says that a very favourite locality for these birds was the abandoned or unused salt-pans near Pulmones. He did not observe any in those parts later than the month of March. i) AMERICAN STINT. TRINGA MINUTILLA, Vieillot. Tringa minutilla, Vieil/. Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat. xxxiv. p-. 466; Yarr. ed. 4, ui. p. 896; Dresser, vii. p. 51. Actodromas minutilla, Baird, Brewer, & Ridgway, Water- Birds of N. Am. i. p. 236. Two occurrences. A bird of this species was shot by Mr. Vingoe in Mount’s Bay, Cornwall, on 10th October, 1853, and another by Mr. Rickards on Northern Burrows, near Bideford, in September 1869. The home of this Stint is America, where it breeds in the arctic and subarctic districts. In autumn it migrates southwards, and spreads in winter over Central and South America, as well as the West Indian Islands, returning to its summer-quarters in spring. [0. 8.] nu vs ay “RY ‘LNILS NYOIAAWY ay a ‘Gpmsuayny) eyenbreqns edsulsy “MHdIdGNVS MATANS suypiog ‘eAo1p "AM “OUNT CURLEW SANDPIPER. TRINGA SUBARQUATA (Giildenstadt). Scolopax subarquata, A. J. Giildenstadt, Novi Comment. Acad. Petropol. xix. p. 471 (1775). Tringa subarquata, Naum. vii. p. 408, xiii. p. 234; Macg. iv. p- 215; Yarr. ed. 4, ii. p. 408; Dresser, viii. p. 59. Bécasseau-cocorli, French ; Churra, Malaga; Siseta rocha, Valencian. This bird is a tolerably common visitor to our eastern and southern coasts on the double passage, but I believe that I am correct in stating that hitherto there is no authentic record of the discovery of its nest or eggs in any part of the world. I have heard of the occurrence of this bird on the Norfolk coast as early as the first week of August, but I think that about the 20th of that month is the usual date for its first autumnal appear- ance in that part of England. On the return migration it occurs in the summer dress on our eastern coasts from about the end of March till the end of May, and occasionally even in June. In general habits this bird very much resembles the Common Dunlin or Stint; but on wing may be easily distinguished from that species by the white rump- feathers. In my British experience the Curlew Sandpiper seldom comes to any considerable distance inland; but to this experience there are, I know, many exceptions. I have met with this species in various parts of the Mediterranean shores in March, April, and May, but nowhere in such abundance as on the great alluvial plains of the lower Guadalquivir during the first fort- night of the last-named month in 1872. Every speci- men then obtained by our party was in full summer dress; and amongst the myriads that constantly passed me at short distances I could not detect any other phase of plumage. The Curlew Sandpiper occurs from Archangel to the Cape Colony and Tasmania, and from the Atlantic to the north-eastern coast of the Pacific. I have generally found this bird very easy of approach, unless the flocks were accompanied by individuals of some more wary species. The note is a passing whistle, uttered in a low tone, yet more powerful than that of the Dunlin, to which it bears a certain resemblance. ua ‘eyenys edulry, ‘ARdIAGNYS ATAIaANd “upseg ‘9AetD 'M “OUIT ~) LOU t PURPLE SANDPIPER. TRINGA STRIATA, Linn. Tringa striata, Linn. 8. N. i. p. 248 (1766); Yarr. ed. 4, ii. p. 408; Dresser, viii. p. 69. Tringa maritima, Naum. vii. p. 467; Macg. iv. p. 197; Hewitson, i. p. 366. Bécasseau violet, French; See-Strandliufer, German. This bird is not uncommon on our coasts during the autumn, winter, and early spring, but it has not been as yet positively ascertained to breed in any part of the British Islands. My own acquaintance with the Purple Sandpiper is very scanty, being entirely confined to a few rocky localities in Wales and the west of Treland. In the latter part of the world I found two of these birds late in June; and I firmly believe that they had eggs in the close neighbourhood of the spot about which I constantly saw them; but the continued swell that broke upon the coast rendered a landing always difficult, and often impossible, and I was obliged to content myself with an unproven inward conviction. In other localities I have generally met with this species in small parties later in the year, always amongst rocks overgrown with seaweed, amongst which the birds find their food. I have repeatedly seen Purple Sandpipers lifted from the rocks by the waves and paddling on the water till it receded and left the weeds “as they were.” I have also frequently noticed birds of this species swimming in the little pools amongst the rocks ; they are exceedingly fearless, and always permitted close observation from our boats. This Sandpiper is said to be the most numerous of its genus throughout the greater portions of the Arctic regions, and it breeds in considerable numbers in the Feeroes, as also in Iceland, Greenland, Spitzbergen, and Novaya Zemlya. I leave the description of the nest and ege of this species to those authors who have personally met with them. In this country the Purple Sandpiper very rarely wanders to any considerable distance from salt- water. Yannns _ AUT © STANWe D BOULAL 2A O) NORE a “duit SO.Gr LaLa tur, a UIT FUSE wangs0uy, “y KNOT, TRINGA CANUTUS, Linn. Tringa canutus, Linn. S. N. i. p. 251 (1766) ; Macg. iv. p- 185; Yarr. ed. 4, iii. p.413; Dresser, vii. p. 77. Tringa islandica, Naum. vil. p. 872, xin. p. 282. Maubéche, French; Isliindischer Strandliufer, German ; Churra, Spanish. This bird is exceedingly common on the double passage on many parts of our coasts, and many remain in favourable localities throughout the winter months. Although the Knot ranges as a migrant over the whole of Europe, a considerable portion of Africa, and N. America, and has, according to Mr. H. Saunders, been met with in the Indian Region, Australia, and Brazil, its breeding-haunts appear to be confined to the extreme Arctic regions of America, and I believe that I am jus- tified in stating that well authenticated eggs of this species are still desiderata to ornithologists. Col. Feilden and Mr. Chichester Hart, however, the natura- lists of the Polar Expedition of H.M. ships ‘Alert’ and ‘Discovery,’ had the good fortune to obtain three broods of very young nestlings of this species in July 1876 in latitudes 82° 33' and 81° 44’ N. The favourite resorts of the Knot in our country are bare reaches of tidal mud and sand; and where these wastes are permeated by runlets of fresh water, there, if anywhere, the Knots will be found at low-water time. I think that, in the whole of my bird-seeking experience, I never met with any one species in such astonishing numbers as the present in the lower marisma of the Guadalquivir during the first fortnight of May 1872; any really approximate reckoning was, of course, out of the question, but my companions and I put the total mildly at several millions ; with very few exceptions these masses of birds were in the most perfect summer plumage. The Knot thrives exceedingly well in captivity, often for three or four years, and becomes very tame. The drawings for both Plates were taken from living birds in the Lilford aviaries. “Ma LNIM nT suINUe I BSUTAT “hur ‘soag Gap g “TGTL WWG “PPP wUMA|soU]-y surog '@A015 “M “OUT ‘(umaq) ereuale Spleg ‘ONITAAACNYS SANDERLING. CALIDRIS ARENARIA (Linan.). Tringa arenaria, Linn. 8. N.i. p. 251 (1766). Calidris arenaria, Naum. vii. p. 353, xiii. p. 281; Macg. iv. p. 237; Yarr. ed. 4, iii. p. 420; Dresser, viii. p. 101. Sanderling variable, French ; Sanderling, German ; Chur- rilla, Spanish. This species is tolerably common on the double passage on many parts of our coast, generally appearing early in August and remaining till cold weather sets in, reappearing in April, and often lingering till the end of May, or even later, upon the hard sands of our shores. I have met with the Sanderling in small flocks almost throughout the Mediterranean, and in many parts of our own Islands, but do not recollect to have ever seen it on the tidal muds that present attractions to the great majority of the family of Waders. Occasionally, but in my personal experience rarely, a few Sanderlings may be found associating with Dunlins and Knots, but I have generally met with them in companies composed solely of their own species, varying in number from a dozen to perhaps thirty or forty. With the exception of greater activity and special predilection for clean sands, the habits of this bird appeared to me to resemble most closely those of the Knot. There is no authentic record of the breeding of this bird in any part of the British Islands; but for details on this subject I must refer my readers to the standard authorities. o a ae “mtatq ‘SusoSeJNI eSULLy ‘AaHdIdGNYS GHLSvaad —-Adna “arpiog ‘oaory *M ‘O"U3VT BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER. TRINGA RUFESCENS, Vieill. Tringa rufescens, Vieillot, Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat. xxxiv. p: 470 (1819) ; Macg. iv. p. 194. Actitis rufescens, Naum. xiii. p. 239. Tryngites rufescens, Yarr. ed. 4, iii. p. 435; Dresser, viii. p. 111. This is a rare and irregular strageler to our country from North America, concerning whose habits and distribution I have no personal knowledge. Some fourteen or fifteen well-authenticated occurrences of this species in England and Ireland are referred to by Mr. H. Saunders in his ‘ Manual,’ as also one in Heligoland. The specimen from which the accompany- ing figure was taken was shot in September 1870 on the island of Bryher, Scilly, by Mr. Augustus Pechell, who most kindly lent it for the purpose, and has sent the following note with reference to the occurrence :— “T was sitting on a bank at Bryher, 80 or 100 yards from a small freshwater pool, when the bird came, and after flying round settled, and ran about the edge of the pool; I saw it was a stranger, and was moving to stalk it, when something disturbed it and it flew away west- ward towards rocks and sea; some minutes later it came back over the spot where I had been sitting all the time, and fell in a grass field behind me; it was a bit of good luck. Pectoral Sandpipers were also in Scilly that September.” i) H t | { \ Litho. W. Greve, Berlin. BARTRAM'S PLOVER. Bartramia longicauda (Bechst.). BARTRAWS PLOVER. BARTRAMIA LONGICAUDA (Becist.). Tringa longicauda, Bechstein, Kurze Uebers. aller bek. Vogel, p. 453 (1811). Actitis bartrami, Naum. viii. p. 48, xiii. p. 238. Bartramia longicauda, Yarr. ed. 4, iil. p. 440. Actiturus longicaudus, Dresser, viii. p. 119. I find seven records of the occurrence of this American species in England in the 4th ed. of ‘ Yarrell,’ vol. ii, under the heading of “ Bartram’s Sandpiper,” but as, from all the accounts that are accessible to me, it seems to resemble the Plovers much more closely in habits than the Sandpipers, and is very generally known in the United States as Upland, or Field-Plover, I have ventured, with all due deference to our English autho- rities, to designate it as a Plover. Never having crossed the Atlantic, or had the luck to meet with this bird in Europe, I cannot, of course, give any details concerning it from personal observation, and therefore quote from a recent American work to the effect that our bird breeds on the inland prairies and dry meadows of North America from the fur-countries of Canada to Penn- sylvania, as well as on both sides of the Mississippi. These Plovers keep together in broods or small com- panies, and feed much upon grasshoppers. In the pastures they familiarly follow and feed around the cattle, and, though usually wary of man, can generally be approached from a cart or wagon. In August these birds approach the vicinity of the sea, but resort to feed and roost in the contiguous dry fields. They run fast and often skulk in high grass. On being alarmed they utter three or four querulous whistling notes as they mount to fly, and when travelling they have a short warbling whistle. The author from whom I am quoting states that about the middle of August the market of Boston, Mass., is amply supplied with this “ delicate and justly esteemed game.” In Yarrell, Joc. supra cit., I find that the migrations of this species extend as far southward as the West Indies, Brazil, Eastern Peru, and Chile. In Europe Bartram’s Plover has been met with certainly in Malta and in Northern Italy, and there are also records of its occurrence in Sweden, Holland, and Hesse. John Gould states that he examined a specimen shot near Botany Bay. =a jmd hes ‘(uuy) Snonajoddéy snuejoL ‘aAAdIAGNWS NOWWOO ‘Ulplag ‘oAeIp “AA “OUT 4 2m, Se COMMON SANDPIPER. TOTANUS HYPOLEUCUS (Linn.). Tringa hypoleucos, Linn. 8S. N. i. p. 250 (1766). Actitis hypoleucos, Naum. viii. p. 7; Macg. iv. p. 351. Totanus hypoleucos, Hewitson, ii. p. 833; Dresser, viii. p. 127. Totanus hypoleucus, Yarv. ed. 4, i. p. 446. Chevalier guignette, French; Fluss-Uferléufer, German ; Andarios, Lavandéra chica, Spanish. This pleasant little bird is a common summer visitor to almost all the streams of the United Kingdom, perhaps more numerous in Scotland and Wales than elsewhere ; but in my experience there is hardly a river, a Jake, or even a considerable pond in our country, upon whose banks this Sandpiper may not be found between the middle of April and the end of September. I have more than once noticed a few of this species on our southern coasts as late as the middle of November, but such lingering is decidedly exceptional. For nesting- purposes this bird prefers the neighbourhood of rapid streams or gravelly lakes to that of still muddy waters. The nest is composed of dry grass and rushes, moss, and occasionally a few dead leaves; it is generally well concealed and by no means easy to discover. The eggs are four in number, very large for the size of the bird, and of a creamy white, much spotted with dark brown. When the young are hatched the parent birds display the utmost anxiety, and go through all the well-known devices to draw off a human or canine intruder that may frequently be noticed in the case of other wading birds. This Sandpiper when suddenly startled from the side of a stream shoots off with a darting flight close to the surface of the water, uttering a shrill piping whistle rapidly repeated; but it is naturally of a confiding character, aid I have frequently passed one or two in a beat within less than half a gunshot without disturbing them as they ran on the gravel banks with constant nodding of heads and flirting of tails; they very frequently perch, especially upon rail-fences and stone walls. When unable to fly from youth or a wound, the Sandpiper frequently takes to the water, and not only swims well, but dives with ease. I have met with this species in every suitable locality in Europe that I have visited, but nowhere in such abundance as upon a creek of the Guadalquivir in May 1883. “(mq) sudoiyqoo snueio J, ‘MAdIdGNYS NadHXD “une ‘A0rN "A OUITT GREEN SANDPIPER. TOTANUS OCHROPUS (Linzn.). Tringa ocrophus (misprint), Linn. 8. N. i. p. 250 (1766). Totanus ochropus, Naum. viii. p. 59, xii. p. 241 ; Macy. iv. p- 3842; Hewitson, ii. p. 334*; Yarr. ed. 4, iii. p. 457 ; Dresser, viii. p. 135. Chevalier cul-blanc, French; Griinfiissiger Strandliufer, German ; Lavandera grande, Andario, Spanish. This bird is more or less common as an irregular visitor to all parts of England and many of the eastern counties of Scotland; whilst in Ireland generally it is much less frequent, and very rare in the west of that country. In Northamptonshire I have records of the occurrence of the Green Sandpiper in every month of the year except June, and am by no means certain of the correctness of this exception. It is, however, never abundant with us, and generally to be found singly or in couples about certain muddy ponds during the period of the autumnal migration. Once only I found six of these birds together on the banks of the Nene; this was late in the month of August, and no doubt was a family- party on their travels. I may mention that in the district to which I am referring this bird is generally known as either “Solitary” or “ Summer-Snipe.” From my own experience I am inclined to think that this species finds its living principally on soft muddy spots, and is comparatively seldom to be found fre- quenting banks of shingle or sand. It exhibits a remarkable partiality for certain ponds in our pasture- lands, and where one or two Green Sandpipers are found in August or September at these pools we almost always find one or two at the same season every year. It is not very often that circumstance permits a close observation of these birds, as they are very wary ; but I have once or twice had the opportunity of watching one at close quarters; they appeared to me on these occasions to be less constantly in motion than the Common Sandpiper, and, after a close examination of a patch of mud and many snaps at flying insects, the birds, in the instances to which 1 allude, retired to a clod of earth on the pond-bank, and drawing up one leg remained motionless, except for an occasional jerk of the tail, for a considerable time. When alarmed, the Green Sandpiper darts up to a great height in the air with a very vigorous flight, and constantly utters a shrill trisyllabic whistle, alarming all the Snipes that may be in the neighbourhood, and has often caused me much vexation on this account; the present bird, however, generally makes off to a distance at once, and from the Snipe-shooting poimt of view is not such a nuisance as the Redshank, which flits round the marsh from which it rises with constant outcry, as if it was the appointed sentinel of the Snipes. LOX I cannot find any positive record of the present bird’s breeding in our Islands, although I feel convinced that it occasionally does so; for evidence in favour of my view on this subject I must refer my readers to the Ath edition of ‘Yarrell’; my personal experience on this point will be found recorded in article 149 of my “Notes on the Birds of Northamptonshire” in the ‘Journal of the Natural History Society’ of that county. The Green Sandpiper generally selects an old nest of some other species for its nursery, often at a consider- able height from the ground. I quote from “ Yarrell,” ed. supr. cit., to the effect that the eggs have been found in Pomerania in the abandoned nests of Song-Thrush, Jay, Blackbird, Mistletoe-Thrush, Wood-Pigeon, once in that of the Red-backed Shrike, often in squirrels’ “dreys,” sometimes on the ground, and in various other situations at from 3 to 35 feet im elevation, but always in proximity to ponds. I have met with the Green Sandpiper at various seasons in every part of Europe that I have visited. supjiog ‘eaedp “M ‘OUN'T ‘(uyaup ‘qT *f) ejoose[s snuejoyL qa dIGaGNWS-doOoM WOOD-SANDPIPER. TOTANUS GLAREOLA (J. F. Gmelin). Tringa glareola, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. i. p. 677 (1788). Totanus glareola, Nawm. viii. p. 78; Macg. iv. p. 346; Hewitson, ii. p. 830; Yarr. ed. 4, iii. p. 463; Dresser, vii. p. 1498, Chevalier sylvain, French; Bruch-Wasserliufer, German ; Andario, Spanish ; Carregadet, Valencian. This bird is an irregular but by no means a very uncommon visitor to England and Scotland, and there is good evidence of its having bred on several occasions in the former and once in the latter kingdom, although we have only one authentic record of the actual finding of an occupied nest in Great Britain; this nest, con- taining eggs, was discovered by the late John Hancock on June 8rd, 1853, in Prestwick Car, not far from Newcastle-on-Tyne, and the adult male was shot at the same time. My acquaintance with this Sandpiper is, with one exception, confined to foreign countries. In Andalucia we found it exceedingly common in April and May on the borders of the great marshes of the Lower Guadalquivir; it was also common about the Ionian rae) Islands and the adjacent mainland on the double passage. I noticed it in the neighbourhood of Tunis in November, and have seen it in Sicily, Sardinia, and Cyprus ; in this last-named island I am convinced that it was breeding near Limasol in May 1875, but we could not discover a nest in spite of protracted search and some watching of a pair that were much distressed by our proximity, and kept hovering and whistling about the spot whence we first disturbed them. The Wood-Sandpiper breeds in many parts of Europe, notably in the Netherlands and in Denmark ; the nest is generally situated in rough moorland, and is always well concealed and difficult to find. The habits of this bird to some extent resemble those of the Green Sand- piper, but it is much less wary than that erratic species, and, so far as my experience goes, is more addicted to perching on bushes and low trees than any of its con- geners. ‘The ordinary cry of the Wood-Sandpiper is a double whistle; but the pair to which I have alluded above as observed in Cyprus flew about constantly uttering a prolonged twitter or trilling note that I never heard on any other occasion. I gather from other writers that this species ranges virtually over the whole of the Old World, from Scandinavia and Northern Siberia to Ceylon and South Africa, and from the coast of Portugal to Japan. *(uosiiM) SNIIENTOS snuejoL ‘AHdIGGNYS AUMYLITOS cuyag ‘9A2MD “M “OWL SOLITARY SANDPIPER. TOTANUS SOLITARIUS (Wilson). Tringa solitaria, Wilson, Amer. Orn. vii. p. 53, pl. 58. fig. 3 (1813). Totanus solitarius, Yarr. ed. 4, iii. p. 468, Pref. p. x. I find three records only of the occurrence of this American species in Great Britain; the first, recorded by Gray in the ‘ Ibis’ for 1870, is stated to have been shot some years ago somewhere on the banks of the Clyde, in the higher grounds of Lanarkshire ; the second British specimen was killed in Scilly on September 21st, 1882, and is now in the possession of Mr. Dorrien Smith, to whom I am indebted for the loan of the bird for this work ; a third is recorded by Mr. Thomas Cor- nish (‘ Zoologist,’ 1885, p. 113) to have been killed in a marsh near Marazion, and identified by the late W. H. Vingoe, of Penzance, into whose possession it passed; Mr. Cornish gives no precise date for this occurrence, but as he mentions oc. supra cit. that it was in Vingoe’s hands on January 26th, 1885, we may presume that it was killed shortly before that date. I gather from Nuttall that this bird very much resembles its near relation, our Green Sandpiper (7ota- nus ochropus), in habits, as it certainly does m appear- ance, but with the important difference that in the latter species the rump and upper tail-coverts are pure white, whilst in the American bird the feathers of these parts are of a greenish brown, with scanty white spots. It seems that little or nothing authentic has been dis- covered as to the nidification of the present species. Litho. W. Greve, Berlin. COMMON REDSHANK, Totanus calidris (Linn). COMMON REDSHANK. TOTANUS CALIDRIS (Linn.). Tringa calidris, Linn. S. N. i. p. 252 (1766). Totanus calidris, Naum. viii. p.95; Macg. iv. p. 333; Hewit- son, ii. p. 829; Yarr. ed. 4, ii. p. 469; Dresser, vii. p. 157. Chevalier-Gambette, French; Rothfiissiger Wasserliufer, Gambette, German; Gamba roja, Pajarillo, Spanish, Archibebe (Malaga). This pretty bird is probably only too well known to those of my readers who are given to Snipe-shooting, from its frequency on their favourite grounds, and, from a sportsman’s point of view, its detestable habit of flying screaming over the marshes, thereby putting all the Snipes upon the “ gu-vive.’ Admitting this charge against our bird, it is withal a very great ornament to many of our native districts, which, without bird-life, would be dreary indeed; and as it is perfectly harmless, worthless from a culinary point of view, and one of the many of our British species that must by degrees become extinct as a resident, from the draining and reclamation of its present breeding-localities, L say by all means spare the Redshank. In the spring and summer this species is to be found in suitable localities throughout the three kingdoms, all that it seems to require in those seasons being open, uncultivated, and comparatively moist ground. ‘The nest is usually placed upon or under a tussock of sedge or rushes, sometimes amongst heather, and is almost invariably well concealed from observation ; the eggs are four, and so well known that I gladly shirk the task of description, for which, in such matters, I frankly plead a singular incompetence. During the pairing-season the male Redshank goes through much the same performances as other birds of his genus, soaring into the air with quivering wings and note, and on the ground his antics have reminded me often of a tame Pigeon in similar circumstance of season and passion; at other times of year the Redshank is very wideawake and wary, and, on the slightest alarm, darts shrieking into the air, and flies at a safe height to a safe distance. On the autumnal migration and during open winters vast numbers of Redshanks frequent our flat coasts and salt-marshes, and many stragglers are to be met with on both passages in districts far away from their accustomed haunts. This species thrives well in captivity, and from its lively actions and graceful shape is a very desirable inmate of the aviary. YELLOW-SHANKED SANDPIPER. TOTANUS FLAVIPES (J. F. Gnelin). Scolopax flavipes, J. F. Gmelin, S. N. i. p. 659. Totanus flavipes, Yarr. ed. 4, iv. p.480; Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, Water-Birds of N. Am. i. p. 273; Dresser, Suppl. p. 377. An American straggler to this country, of which two unquestioned instances of its occurrence are on record—one near Bawtry on the borders of Lincolnshire, and one near Marazion in Cornwall. In the latter case the bird was shot by Mr. Vingoe on September 12, 1871. Over the greater part of North America the Yellow- shanked Sandpiper is a well-known bird as a spring and autumn migrant during its passage to its breeding- grounds in the subarctic districts of the Continent. On its return it spreads widely over the West Indian Islands, Central and South America, and reaches as far south as Chili and Patagonia. [O. S.] eujco Litho. W. Greve, Berlin. YELLOW -SHANKED SANDPIPER. Totanus flavipes (J. F. Gmelin). vy DUSKY REDSHANK. TOTANUS FUSCUS (Linn.). Scolopax fusca, Linn. S. N.i. p. 243. Totanus fuscus, Naum. vill. p. 123, xii. Suppl. p. 242; Macg. iv. p. 3828; Hewitson, il. p. 326; Dresser, viii. p. 165; Yarr. ed. 4, iii. p. 474. Barge brune, Chevalier arlequin, French ;-Caballero arlequin, Spanish ; Dunkelfarbiger-Wasserliufer, German. A not uncommon but irregular visitor to the British Islands, where it appears during its spring and autumn migrations, never remaining to breed or to spend the winter months within our shores. In Treland it appears to be of very rare occurrence. The Dusky Redshank breeds in the northern parts of Norway and Sweden, in Finland and Russia, and probably throughout Northern Asia. The first discovery of its nest and eggs was due to Wolley, and his account of the breeding-habits of the bird in Finland is full of interest. His notes were first sent to Hewitson, in whose work they appear and in greater detail in Dresser’s ‘ Birds of Europe.’ [0. 8.] On DUSKY REDSHANK. Totanus fuscus (/inn.). *Uyory @aoty) “AA “ONIN ‘Cmuq) SOLS snue}o[, “ANVHSNHAAD GREENSHANK. TOTANUS GLOTTIS (Linn.). Scolopax totanus, Linn. S. N.1. p. 245 (1766, ex Briss.). Totanus glottis, Naum. viii. p. 145, xiii. p. 243; Hewitson, i. p. 336. Glottis chloropus, Macy. iv. p. 319. Totanus canescens, Yarr. ed. 4, iii. p. 483; Dresser, vill. p- 178. Chevalier gris, Chevalier aboyeur, French; Griinfiissiger, Wasserliufer,German ; Corre-playa, Andario, Picorilla, Spanish. I have such a very slight acquaintance with this species as a “ British” bird, that, were it not for the expressed wishes of many friends for a certain amount of letterpress to accompany these “Coloured Figures,” I should almost be inclined to state simply that this is the Greenshank; but in compliance with the wishes above mentioned, [ will attempt to condense the infor- mation gathered from recent authorities on my present subject. The Greenshank is a bird of double passage in most parts of our islands ; it breeds on open moor-lands and the shingly borders of lochs and streams in certain districts of the Scottish Highlands and islands, but is nowhere very abundant, and in England and Ireland is best known as an autumnal visitor to the coasts and inland waters; Mr. H. Saunders informs us that it remains in Ireland throughout the winter. he nest is said to be often placed close to large grey granite stones, to which the upper plumage of the Greenshank closely assimilates in general tone of colour; the eggs are four in number, very large for the size of the bird, and are generally hatched during the first fortnight of June; both parent-birds are very clamorous, and bold in attacking a dog, and sweeping round the head of a human intruder after their young are hatched. I have met with this bird once or twice on the Tweed in early autumn, and occasionally on the Irish coasts at the same season, also on various parts of the Mediterranean shores, but my principal acquaintance with it was formed on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, where, though by no means very abundant, it is frequently to be met with in pairs or small parties during April and the early part of May. It is generally, in my experi- ence, a very wary bird, rising at the slightest suspicion of danger, and uttering a very remarkable shrill double note, by which it may easily be identified from any of its congeners with whom I have any acquaintance. I do not remember ever to have found Greenshanks associating with any other birds, except a stray Avocet or two. aes ‘ =) 7 RUFF. MACHETES PUGNAX (Linn). Tringa pugnax, Linn. S. N. i. p. 247 (1766). Machetes pugnax, Naum. vil. p. 502; Macg. iv. p. 171; Hewitson, ii. p. 845; Yarr. ed. 4, ii. p. 426; Dresser, vill. p. 87. Combattant, French; Kampf-Hahn, German; Combati- ente, Spanish. This singular bird is one of the many species that have been driven from their former breeding-places in England by the draining and reclamation of the marshes and fen-lands in which they were at one time abundant ; a very few pairs of Ruffs and Reeves, however, still nest occasionally in East Norfolk, but, owing to the greed of collectors, and lax administration of the law, are seldom allowed to rear, or even to hatch out their broods, and our birds are now principally known as autumnal visitors to the sea-coast and adjacent meadow-lands, stray birds being occasionally met with inland at con- siderable distances from salt water. The Ruff is polygamous, and consequently most pug- nacious, but, as far as I have been able to observe, NOGNO? ‘OlGNAS tev OHLIT- OWONHS (unt) xeugnd sajeyoey| “ddnd an “bury, T /ho} 7 Litho. W. Greve, Berlin. RUFF. Machetes pugnax (Linn.). amongst these birds in aviaries their fights are never very serious or long sustained, and appear to be set going more for the sake of showing off to the Reeves than with any intention of damage to each other; so well known was this habit in Lincolnshire in former days that I have been assured by a friend that his mother, a native of that county, would often check the squabbles of her young family by the words “Come, you ) children must not fight lke Ruffs!” Large numbers of these birds were formerly taken in nets in the fens of our eastern counties in the spring and regularly fattened for the table, always commanding a ready sale at a high price; but this business has long ago been discontinued for lack of birds, and the great majority of Ruffs and Reeves that are now to be found in the English markets are imported from the Netherlands. The natural food of this species consists of insects, worms, and small mollusks, but in captivity they take readily to a diet of bread and milk, boiled wheat and rice, and chopped liver, and on this regimen rapidly become fat; a Ruff in good condition is a most excellent bird, far superior, in my estimation, to a Woodcock at its best. My own acquaintance with this species in a wild state is very limited: the only remarkable point about it that I have observed that I have not found recorded by other writers, is the ease with which these birds are attracted by any unusually bright-coloured object such as a red or yellow flag or handkerchief fluttering in the breeze, and I have seen some of them occasionally hover over a dog; this habit is, of course, common amongst waders when their nests are approached, but the instances in which it has come under my notice in this species had no connection with parental instinct. The curious collar or ruff of feathers of the male birds is fully developed by the middle of May (I write of birds in captivity), and is carried throughout June. I have found that this species thrives remarkably well in our aviaries in ordinary weather, but cannot bear severe frost; the actions and attitudes of the males are most amusing and grotesque, and both sexes become very tame. It would take at least half a dozen plates to display even the most ordinary varieties of the nuptial plumage of the Ruff, in fact it would be difficult in May or June to find two males precisely alike. The principal figure in the first of the accompanying Plates is an excellent portrait of a specimen in the aviary at Lilford, in his full summer “glory.” 'The difference of size and weight of the two sexes is very remarkable, for whilst a wild Ruff in August and September will generally pull down from 7 to 8 oz. (often a good deal more), it is exceptional to meet with a Reeve that weighs 6 oz., and I have a specimen of the latter killed in perfect condition at Corfu in the autumn that weighed just 43 oz. “(727 ) Bjeydoooge vsouly TIMGOD GHTIVITOVITe "NOONOT 'OIGNLS YY OHLIT-OWOHHS BLACK-TAILED GODWIT. LIMOSA AtGOCEPHALA (Linz.). Scolopax zgocephala, Linn. S. N. 1. p. 246 (1766). Limosa melanura, Naum. viii. p. 406; Hewitson, i. p. 342. Limosa eegocephala, Macy. iv. p.269; Yarr. ed. 4, ili. p. 488 ; Dresser, vii. p. 211. Barge « queue noire, French; Schwarzschwinzige Ufer- schnepfe, German ; Abujeta, Sarseruelo, Andalucian. This is one of the many species that formerly bred in some numbers in the fen-districts of England, but have become comparatively rare, in some cases extinct, from the effects of drainage, the persecution of local sportsmen and depredators, and, I must add, the greed of collectors and their agents. The excellence of the flesh and of the eggs of this Godwit have of course tended to its extermination as a breeding species in this country. In the ‘Althorp Household Books,’ kept during portions of the 16th and 17th centuries, are several entries of high prices paid for “ Yarwhelps ”»—a local eastern-county name for this bird, still in use amongst the marsh-men; and a fat Godwit has for centuries been accounted as one of the daintiest dishes in England. I quote from Sir Thomas Browne and, on the authority of Yarrell, from Ben Jonson to this effect. Nowadays the Black-tailed Godwit is only known in our country as a bird of double passage, and by no means avery common one, although within the memory of man it not only bred, but was regularly netted and fattened for the table by the Ruff- and Plover-netters of Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire. This bird still frequents and breeds in some of the marshes of the Netherlands, whence a few are sent annually alive to the London markets m April and May. The nests are said to be generally well con- cealed amongst the herbage of the marsh-lands. The egos are four in number, of a dull green spotted and blotched with brown, and are pear-shaped. I have frequently found these eggs in Leadenhall Market amongst those of many other marsh-birds from Holland, and the few that I have had hard-boiled were quite equal, if not superior, in flavour to those of the Peewit. The Black-tailed Godwits that I have seen in their natural condition, at liberty in England, might certainly be reckoned on my fingers; but in the early months of spring I have seen very large numbers of these birds in Southern Spain, a few on the shores of Epirus, and here and there in other parts of the Mediterranean shores. In Spain we found these Godwits exceedingly wary, and it was only by the aid of one of the wonder- fully trained native horses, or that of a wild Falcon, that we brought any of them to bag. To the Falcon, Peregrine, and possibly Lanner, this species seems to present special delight, and we often wie IL noticed from a distance flocks of Godwits spreading out into lines, or gathering into dense masses, in the manner of Starlings or Dunlins, from the constant persecution of the long-winged enemies above mentioned. At the season in which I noticed these birds in the Spanish marshes, I never heard any note uttered by them but a single “chut” “chut;” but in captivity they frequently utter a double note, from which (fide ‘Yarrell,’ 4th ed.) they derive the trivial name of “Grutto” in Holland. These birds thrive fairly well in our aviaries at Lilford, but require protection from cold and damp that hardly affect the Bar-tailed Godwit. The present species has a very extensive seasonal range, having been recorded from Greenland, Iceland, and Finland, to Ceylon and Australia, and also from Madeira to Japan. ‘Cuuy) eouodde, esouny ‘LIMGOSD GaATIYL—-aAva turieg ‘eAe1p “M “OUNTT BAR-TAILED GODWIT. LIMOS'A LAPPONICA (Linn.). Scolopax lapponica, Linn. S. N. i. p. 246 (1766). Limosa rufa ef meyeri, Naum. viii. pp. 446 and 428, xiii. pp. 246 and 247. Limosa rufa, Macy. iv. p. 260; Hewitson, ii. p. 343. Limosa lapponica, Yarr. ed. 4, iii. p. 494; Dresser, viii. p. 208. Barge-rousse, French ; Ufer-Schnepfe, German; Sarse- ruelo, Spanish; Tetol, Valencian. This bird visits the low-lying coast districts of the United Kingdom on the double passage in May and August and is said to remain, occasionally in large numbers, throughout the winter in certain favourable localities ; on the other hand a few occasionally linger with us throughout the summer, but the nest of the Bar-tailed Godwit has not been recorded as even having been found in any part of the British Islands. The breeding-haunts of this species in the Old World are confined to the extreme north-east of Europe and the north of Asia, but little seems to be known concerning the bird’s habits in its nesting localities. In the autumn and winter this Godwit occurs throughout the Mediterranean shores, but I never met with it there in any considerable numbers, in fact I have but little personal acquaintance with the bird in a wild state. I saw a few and shot one in the richest nuptial plumage in the harbour of Santander in May 1876. The old birds on the return passage in spring are generally wide awake and difficult of approach, but in autumn the inexperienced youngsters on their first travels are often stupidly tame and confiding, unless, as is often the case, they are in company with Curlews or Redshanks. ‘The flesh of this bird in autumn is fairly good, although it will not bear comparison with that of the Black-tailed Godwit. At Marseille and Toulon Bar-tailed Godwits appeared constantly on the bills of fare and tables of the hotels as ‘“‘ Bécasses,” never, to my knowledge, with the legitimate addition of “de Mer.” This bird thrives fairly well in captivity, but none of those that I have kept at Lilford have ever assumed the full nuptial dress. ‘Cma7) eyenbie sniveumy "MaATANOD ‘UNOg ‘9A0TD "A ‘OUT } CURLEW. NUMENIUS ARQUATA (Linn.). Scolopax arquata, Linn. S. N. i. p. 242 (1766). Numenius arquata, Naum. viii. p. 478, xiii. p. 248; Macy. iv. p. 243; Hewitson, ii. p. 822; Yarr. ed. 4, iii. p. 499. Numenius arquatus, Dresser, viii. p. 243. Le Courlis, French; Brachvogel, German ; Zarapito real, Spanish. This well-known bird nests on open moorlands in several counties of England, most of those of Scotland, and throughout the great bogs and uncultivated districts of Ireland and Wales. The greater part of our home- bred Curlews find their way to the sea-coast in September, many come to our country across the North Sea, and in certain favourite localities on the shores of the three kingdoms more or less of these birds may be found throughout the year. I have always considered an old and experienced Curlew as the most wary of my bird acquaintances, but the young, when they first come down from the moors, may often be circumvented by stalking, and are well worth powder and shot. In Northamptonshire I look upon this species as a bird of double passage ; a few pass up the valley of the Nene pretty regularly in September, but are very seldom to be seen on the ground, and in March and April a few visit us, generally singly or in pairs, on their return passage, occasionally remaining for a few days in our water- meadows. I imagine that there are very few districts in Great Britain or Ireland in which the Curlew is not to be met with either as a breeding species, an occasional visitor, or an autumnal and winter-resident, though, no doubt, to the majority of Englishmen the bird is chiefly associated with the wildest and least frequented parts of our sea-shores and estuaries. The nest of this species is an artless arrangement of dry rushes and grass, generally well concealed: the eggs, very large for the size of the bird, are of a dull olive-green with brown blotches and spots; I have now and then found young Curlews almost full-grown, but unable to fly, as late as the first week in August. The parent-birds are very bold and clamorous when their young are approached, and will attack a dog in this circumstance, but seldom approach within gunshot range of a man. A few Curlews may be killed by lying up concealed in their line of flight to and from their feeding-grounds at the ebb and flow of the tide, but they soon learn to avoid dangerous spots, and either change their route or fly at a safe height from the ground ; their food consists of the creeping, crawling, and wriggling animals that are to be found on the sands and muds at low-water time, and on the upland moors they feed principally upon earth-worms, beetles, and various berries. The ordinary cry of the Curlew is fairly well represented by its English name with the first syllable dwelt upon and prolonged, but it has a variety of other notes, and the deafening shrieks of a large flock of these birds when suddenly alarmed at night or in a fog certainly form one of the most startling pieces of bird- music with which I am acquainted. I have never had much success in keeping young Curlews alive in captivity, but adult birds, captured without injury, generally do well in our aviaries, and feed heartily upon worms and chopped meat: in the summer months some of my Curlews have to a considerable extent supported them- selves by very adroit fly-catching, a process for which their curved soft bills appear to be singularly ill-adapted ; I have, however, constantly and repeatedly seen them pick house-flies from the walls and gravel of the aviaries with the unerring aim of the smaller Herons. Our Curlew may be roughly said to be found throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in other parts of the world is represented by very similar and closely-allied species. (‘wa7) sndowyd sniuauny : sa See ean spe ates aS ate ee eee “TUN ANWINM 3g re “NOONOT WHIMBREL. NUMENIUS PHA{OPUS (Linn.). Scolopax pheopus, Linn. S. N. i. p. 243 (1766). Numenius pheopus, Nawm. viii. p. 506; Macg. iv. p. 253 ; Yarr. ed. 4, iii. p. 507; Dresser, vill. p. 227. Numenius pheeopus, Hewitson, 11. p. 324. Courlis, Courlieu, French; Regen-Brachvogel, German ; Zarapito menor, Zarapito, Spanish. Although some of this species are to be met with on our shores during the winter, the Whimbrel is generally known in England as a bird of double passage, appear- ing in July, August, or September on the southward migration, and again in May on its return to its breeding-quarters in the north. In many parts of England and Ireland it is known as the May-bird, but “Jack-Curlew” and “ Half-Curlew” are perhaps the most common names for it. In Northamptonshire large numbers pass over us to the south-west in August and September, and a few in late April or May; the autumnal travellers seldom, if ever, alight in our neigh- bourhood, but are sufficiently well known to have acquired the local name of ‘“ Seven-Whistlers” from their peculiar cry of seven distinct notes. I have seen little of the Whimbrel in this country, except on the autumnal passage to which I have referred, but am well acquainted with it from personal observation in both Northern and Southern Spain and various parts of the Mediterranean shores. In its habits and manner of feeding, as well as in appearance, this bird closely resembles the Curlew, but it is less wary than that exceedingly wide-awake fowl, and its flesh is much superior to that of its more common relation. On the lower Guadalquivir in May we found a good number of Whimbrels feeding upon the mud-banks of the river at low-water time, and resorting as the tide “made” to some open swampy savannahs in the pine-woods on the right side in the far-famed Coto de Dofiana. Here it was not difficult to drive the birds over our ambush, and we obtained as many as we required for the table and for specimens. In my opinion the Whimbrel is the best of all the marsh-birds for culinary purposes in the spring-time, although not to compare in autumn with the Ruff, the Godwits, Snipes, and Knot. This bird breeds regularly in Iceland, the Faeroes, the Orkneys, the Shetlands, and throughout the north of Europe and Asia. Its migration-range is said to extend to the Cape of Good Hope and Ceylon, and from the Azores to New Guinea. ES surptog ‘aAerd "MOUNT ‘(4aysdoy “Y *c) Slyeotoq sniuswiny”y ‘MATUND OWIASa ESKIMO CURLEW, NUMENIUS BOREALIS (J. R. Forster). Scolopax borealis, J. R. Forster, Phil. Trans. lxii. pp. 411, 431 (1772). Numenius borealis, Naum. viii. p. 506; Yarr. ed. 4, iii. p. 512; Dresser, viii. p. 221. Mr. H. Saunders, in his ‘Manual of British Birds,’ records some seven or eight occurrences of this small American Curlew in the British Islands; the specimen from which my Plate was taken being the latest in date of the birds there recorded ; it was killed on the island of Tresco, Scilly, on September 10, 1887, and most kindly lent to me by Mr. Dorrien Smith for this work. Nuttall says of this species that “in the course of its vast migrations it occasionally visits almost every part of the American continent”; but its breeding-haunts are, it would scem, confined to the Arctic regions. It visits Labrador in great numbers on the autumnal migration ; but the main route of the annual southward journey of this Curlew is said to lie along the valley of the Mississippi and to the southward of New Jersey. Its occurrence on the Atlantic coast of the United States would seem to be exceptional. The food of this species is said to consist of insects, small mollusca, and, when ripe, the fruit of the crow- berry (Lmpetrum nigrum). Nuttall states that on their arrival from the north in Massachusetts Bay and New Jersey they are very fat and well flavoured, and included with Munenius hud- sonicus and Limosa fedoa under the general name of Dough-birds. we “oh PART XXI.] [AUGUST 1892. COLOURED FIGURES OF THE BIRDS OF THE BRITISH ISLANDS. ISSUED BY LORD LILFORD, F.ZS8. &c., ERESIDENT OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION. LONDON: R. H. PORTER, 18 PRINCES STREET, CAVENDISH SQUARE, W. 1892. PRINTED BY TAYLOR AND FRANCIS,] Price 9s. 6d. [RED LION COURT, FLEEFT STREET. TO THE SUBSCRIBERS. As several Subscribers, who obtain copies of this Work through other Booksellers, have expressed a desire that their names should appear in the printed list of Subscribers, we beg to inform such that, if they will kindly send their names to the Publisher, their wishes will be cheerfully acceded to. CONTENTS OR PA OSL HEN-HARRIER. Circus cyanzus (Linn.). LITTLE EGRET. ARDEA GARZETTA, Linn. COMMON, or RED-BREASTED MERGANSER. Mercus srrrator, Linn. GREAT BUSTARD. Oris tarpa, Linn. CASPIAN PLOVER. /HGIALITIS astaTica (Pall.). SAN DERLING. CaLIpDRIS ARENARIA (Linn.). RED-BREASTED GOOSE. Bernicya ruFricotuts (Pall.). ESKIMO CURLEW. NUMENIUS BOREALIS [(J. R. Forster). BLACK-HEADED GULL. Larus riprpunpvs, Linn. TWIST-TAILED SKUA. LeEstTRIs POMARINUS, Temm. COMMON GUILLEMOT. Urta TRoILE (Linn.). Demy 8vo, Cloth. Price 21s. net. THE pes Os DEVON: BY Wes. Mo DURBAN, F.Ls., F:E-S;, FORMERLY CURATOR OF THE ALBERTI MEMORIAL MUSEUM, EXETER, AND THE REV. MURRAY A. MATHEW, M.A.,F.L.S., MEMBER OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION. With Coloured Figures of rare Devonshire Birds, Illustrations of important Bird Stations, and Three Maps. Demy 8vo, Cloth. Price 21s. A NATURALIST IN THE TRANSVAAL, BY Wee DEL SaeAINGL: With Coloured Plates of New Species and Original Drawings. “Mr. Distant could hardly have employed his time to better purpose, as his readers will acknowledge. He writes with authority on all matters of natural history, and his habits of close observation, acquired in zoological pursuits, have stood him in good stead in his study of the social and political condition of the Transvaal and the personal characteristics of the Boers. All naturalists will delight in the book, and political students will find in it much profitable instruction.” —Times. LONDON: R. H. PORTER, 18 PRINCES STREET, CAVENDISH SQUARE, W. Second Edition. Demy 8vo. Price 2s. 6d., post-free. BRITISH Bis se KEY Bist. BY LIEUT.-COLONEL L. HOWARD IRBY, AUTHOR OF ‘ ORNITIIOLOGY OF THE STRAITS OF GIBRALTAR.” SECOND EDITION, REVISED AND ENLARGED. Tuis attempt at a “Key List” of British Birds is not intended for scientific ornithologists ; but for those who have only a slight knowledge of birds, so as to enable them to determine a species without having to search through bulky volumes. Every endeavour has been made to avoid technical and scientific terms and to be as concise as possible. “This little work, compiled by one of our best practical Ornitho- logists and sportsmen, is intended for the use of those who already have a slight knowledge of birds, but require a handy guide to the diagnostic characters of the species as a companion when travelling. It promises to be most useful, and certainly represents a great deal of research in a small compass—NEARLY PERFECT.” Atheneum. “This work, written by an excellent practical ornithologist, is likely to prove of great service, owing to the LARGE AMOUNT OF INFOR- MATION COMPRESSED INTO A SMALL compass.”—Ibis. ‘* Has SUPPLIED A REAL want.”—WNVature. Small 8vo, Cloth. Price 6s. SPORTING SKETCHES IN SOUTH AMERICA, BY y ApmiraL KENNEDY (COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF EAST INDIA STATION). WITH MAP AND ILLUSTRATIONS. “The book is far more than a mere record of Sport, for quite as much is said about the countries visited as about the animals found in them, and many works of far higher pretensions do not contain half the ‘grit’ supplied by this little volume. * * * * bright little book.” — Athenwum. LONDON: R. H. PORTER, 18 PRINCES STREET, CAVENDISH SQUARE, W. Sl PART XXII. | {DECEMBER 1892. COLOURED FIGURES OF THE BIRDS OF THE BRITISH [SLANDS. ISSUED BY LORD LILFORD, F.Z.S. &c., PRESIDENT OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION. LONDON: R. H. PORTER, 18 PRINCES STREET, CAVENDISH SQUARE, W. PRINTED BY TAYLOR AND FRANCIS] Price 9s. 6d. [RED LION COURT, FLEET STREET, TO THE SUBSCRIBERS. As several Subscribers, who obtain copies of this Work through other Booksellers, have expressed a desire that their names should appear in the printed list of Subscribers, we beg to inform such that, if they will kindly send their names to the Publisher, their wishes will be cheerfully acceded to. PCON EAN S| OWE) SP yAua SXOXGIE ROBIN. Erirnacus ruBEcuLa (Linn.). STARLING. (8 Pratzs.) Srurnus vuuearis, Linn. NIGHTJAR, GOATSUCKER, or FERN-OWL. CapRIMULGUsS EUROPAUS, Linn. LESSER KESTREL. Fatco cencuris, Naw. CORMORANT. PwHaracrocorax carBo (Linn.). GREEN CORMORANT or SHAG. PHALACROCORAX GRACULUS [ (Linn.). COMMON EIDER. SomaTERra MoLLIssima (Linn.). COMMON SCOTER. (ipemra nigra (Linn.). VELVET SCOTER. (Apemia Fusca (Linn.). BAR-TAILED GODWIT. Limosa tapponica (Linn.). Cloth, 529 pages. Price 10s. 6d. lnk. Des THE ELEMENTS OF ORNITHOLOGY. BY ST. GEORGE MIVART, F.R.S. With 174 Illustrations, whereof 140 are Original Drawings. “We can cordially recommend the ‘Elements of Ornithology’ as con- taining a mine of modern information on the subject of birds, compressed into a small compass.” —The Ibis. ‘A scientific manual of excellent design. It presents a succinct and methodical treatment of the whole subject, and in its comprehensiveness of survey differs from all other single volumes devoted to the natural history of birds, with which we are acquainted. The introduction is illustrated by nearly two hundred drawings, most of which are new, and all admirably engraved, comprising descriptions of representative birds of the leading classes, orders, and families. This portion occupies nearly one-half of the volume, and will equip the student with a thorough preliminary grasp of the subject; for, though truly scientific in plan, it treats of the more popular aspect of a fascinating branch of natural history in a very attractive style.”—Saturday Review. Demy 8vo, Cloth. Price 21s. A NATURALIST IN THE TRANSVAAL. BY WED Su AUNe, With Coloured Plates of New Species and Original Drawings. “Mr. Distant could hardly have employed his time to better purpose, as his readers will acknowledge. He writes with authority on all matters of natural history, and his habits of close observation, acquired in zoological pursuits, have stood him in good stead in his study of the social and political condition of the Transvaal and the personal characteristics of the Boers. All naturalists will delight in the book, and political students will find in it much profitable instruction.”— Times. LONDON: R. H. PORTER, 18 PRINCES STREET, CAVENDISH SQUARE, W. Second Edition. Demy 8vo. Price 2s. 64., post-free. BREST: Box DS: KEY lois BY LIEUT.-COLONEL L. HoWARD IRBY, AUTHOR OF ‘ ORNITHOLOGY OF THE STRAITS OF GIBRALTAR.’ SECOND EDITION, REVISED AND ENLARGED. Tuis attempt at a “ Key List” of British Birds is not intended for scientific ornithologists ; but for those who have only a slight knowledge of birds, so as to enable them to determine a species without having to search through bulky volumes. Eyery endeayour has been made to avoid technical and scientific terms and to be as concise as possible. “This little work, compiled by one of our best practieal Ornitho- logists and sportsmen, is intended for the use of those who already have a slight knowledge of birds, but require a handy guide to the diagnostic characters of the species as a companion when travelling. It promises to be most useful, and certainly represents a great deal of research in a small compass—NEARLY PERFECT.”— Atheneum. “This work, written by an excellent practical ornithologist, is likely to prove of great service, owing to the LARGE AMOUNT OF INFOR- MATION COMPRESSED INTO A SMALL compass.”—Jbis. ‘* Has SUPPLIED A REAL WANT.” —Jature. Small 8vo, Cloth. Price 6s. SPORTING SKETCHES IN SOUTH AMERICA, BY ApmiraL KENNEDY (COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF EAST INDIA STATION). WITH MAP AND ILLUSTRATIONS. “The book is far more than a mere record of Sport, for quite as much is said about the countries visited as about the animals found in them, and many works of far higher pretensions do not contain half the ‘grit’ supplied by this little volume. * * * * bright little book.” — Atheneum. LONDON: R. H. PORTER, 18 PRINCES STREET, CAVENDISH SQUARE, W. * PART XXIII] [MARCH 1893. COLOURED FIGURES OF THE BIRDS OF THE BRITISH ISLANDS. ISSUED BY LORD LILFORD, F.Z.S. &c., PRESIDENT OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION. LONDON: R. H. PORTER, 18 PRINCES STREET, CAVENDISH SQUARE, W. 1898. PRINTED BY TAYLOR AND FRANCIS,] Price 9s. 6d. (RED LION COURT, FLEET STREET, TO THE SUBSCRIBERS. As several Subscribers, who obtain copies of this Work through other Booksellers, have expressed a desire that their names should appear in the printed list of Subscribers, we beg to inform such that, if they will kindly send their names to the Publisher, their wishes will be cheerfully acceded to. CO NEA ES Oi PAR kee ee LONG-EARED OWL. Asto otus (Linn.). ROOK. Corvus FRuetLEGUs, Linn. WHITE STORK. Cicon1a ALBA, Bechstein. GRIFFON VULTURE. Gyrs FuLvus (J. F. Gmelin). NEOPHRON, or EGYPTIAN VUL- TURE. NEOPHRON PERCNOPTERUS [ (Linn.). GOOSANDER. Mercus mercanser, Linn. GLAUCOUS GULL. Larus exaucus, O. Fabricius. HERRING-GULL. Larus arcentatus, J. F. Gmelin. LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL. Larus Fruscus, Linn. CUNEATE-TAILED GULL*. RuoposterHia rosea (Macg.). BLACK GUILLEMOT. Urta Gryiie (Linn.). LITTLE AUK. Merecutus atin (Linn.). * The second Plate of this species will appear in a future Part. Second Edition. Demy Svo. Price 2s. 6d., post-free. Pate St. CR DS: ROBEY Lal Sus BY Lizur.-Coroner L. HOWARD IRBY, AUTHOR OF ‘ ORNITHOLOGY OF THE STRAITS OF GIBRALTAR.” SECOND EDITION, REVISED AND ENLARGED. Tus attempt at a “Key List” of British Birds is not intended for scientific ornithologists ; but for those who have only a slight knowledge of birds, so as to enable them to determine a species withont having to search through bulky volumes. Every endeavour has been made to avoid technical and scientific terms and to be as concise as possible. “This little work, compiled by one of our best practical Ornithologists and sportsmen, is intended for the use of those who already have a slight knowledge of birds, but require a handy guide to the diagnostic characters of the species as a companion when travelling .... NEARLY PERFECT.”— Atheneum. “Ts likely to prove of great service, owing to the LARGE AMOUNT OF INFORMATION COMPRESSED INTO A SMALL compass.” —Jbis. Demy, 8vo, Cloth. Price 16s. net. A NATURALIST IN THE TRANSVAAL. BY W. iL. DISTANT. With Coloured Plates of New Species and Original Drawings. «Mr. Distant could hardly have employed his time to better purpose, as his readers will acknowledge. He writes with authority on all matters of natural history, and his habits of close observation, acquired in zoological pursuits, have stood him in good stead in his study of the social and political condition of the Transvaal and the personal characteristics of the Boers. All naturalists will delight in the book, and political students will find in it much profitable instruction.” — Times. Demy 8vo, cloth, price 10s. 6d. net. Large Paper (Demy 4to), only 100 printed, 21s, net. THE BIRDS OF PEMBROKESHIRE AND ITS ISLANDS. BY THE Rev. MURRAY A. MATHEW, M.A. Illustrated with Maps and Photographs of Bird-Stations in the Islands. LONDON: R. H. PORTER, 18 PRINCES STREET, CAVENDISH SQUARE, W. Cloth, 329 pages. Price 10s. 6d. IB Eis DS: THE ELEMENTS OF ORNITHOLOGY. BY ST. GEORGE MIVART, F.R.S. With 174 Illustrations, whereof 140 are Original Drawings. “We can cordially recommend the ‘ Elements of Ornithology’ as con- taining a mine of modern information on the subject of birds, compressed into a small compass.”—The Ibis. ‘To thoroughly appreciate the value of Prof. Mivart’s ‘ Elements’ one has to be the curator of a museum. Many people, like myself, must have been puzzled by the frequent demand for an elementary, but comprehen- sive book on birds, such as a man can carry with him on his travels, and many people about to journey abroad have asked me for a small book which would explain to them what certain birds were like. I prophesy that Prof. Mivart’s book will make many collectors, and its handy size is one of its best features. Commencing in an easy and unconstrained manner, Prof. Mivart in his Introduction leads his pupil on through the various forms of bird-life, his object being not to weight the tyro with too heavy material for study at starting. All the leading Avian types are passed in review, and they are illustrated by some admirable woodcuts by Mr. Keulemans, drawn especially for the work.”— Nature. ‘“‘ A scientific manual of excellent design. It presents a succinct and methodical treatment of the whole subject, and in its comprehensiveness of survey differs from all other single volumes devoted to the natural history of birds, with which we are acquainted. The introduction is illustrated by nearly two hundred drawings, most of which are new, and all admirably engraved, comprising descriptions of representative birds of the leading classes, orders, and families. This portion occupies nearly one-half of the volume, and will equip the student with a thorough preliminary grasp of the subject; for, though truly scientific in plan, it treats of the more popular aspect of a fascinating branch of natural history in a very attractive style.’—Saturday Review. Small 8v0, Cloth. Price 5s. net. SPORTING SKETCHES | IN SOUTH AMERICA. ADMIRAL K E NNEDY (COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF EAST INDIA STATION). WITH MAP AND ILLUSTRATIONS. ‘«:'The book is far more than a mere record of Sport, for quite as much is said about the countries visited as about the animals found in them, and many works of far higher pretensions do not contain half the ‘ grit’ supplied by this little volume.”— Athenceum. Ready: Imperial 8vo, cloth, price 30s. net. THE ORNITHOLOGY OF THE STRAITS OF) G1 Bi ad kth Lievut.-Cotonet L. HOWARD L. IRBY, F.L.S., LATE SEVENTY-FOURTH HIGHLANDERS. SECOND EDITION, REVISED AND ENLARGED. Coloured Plates by A: Tuorzury. With an APPENDIX containing a List of the Lepidoptera of the Neighbourhood. LONDON: R. H. PORTER, 18 PRINCES STREET, CAVENDISH SQUARE, W. ~~ ee PART XXIV.| (JUNE 1893. COLOURED FIGURES OF THE BIRDS OF THE BRITISH ISLANDS. ISSUED BY LORD LILFORD, F.Z.S. &c., PRESIDENT OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION. LONDON: R. H. PORTER, 18 PRINCES STREET, CAVENDISH SQUARE, W. 1893. PRENTED BY TAYLOR AND FRANCIS,} Price 9s. 6d. [RED LION COURT, FLEET STREET. TO THE SUBSCRIBERS. As several Subscribers, who obtain copies of this Work through other Booksellers, have expressed a desire that their names should appear in the printed list of Subscribers, we beg to inform such that, if they will kindly send their names to the Publisher, their wishes will be cheerfully acceded to. CO NGE HANES: AONE Setesau lull XXIV. BEARDED REEDLING. PaNnuRuUS BIARMICUS (Linn.). RED-NECKED NIGHTJAR. CaPRIMULGUS RUFICOLLIS, Temm. SQUACCO HERON. ARDEA RALLOIDES, Scop. AMERICAN BITTERN. BorauRvUs LENTIGINOSUS | (Montagu). BRENT GOOSE. BERNICLA BRENTA (Pail.). LITTLE BUSTARD. Orts terrax, Linn. BROAD-BILLED SANDPIPER. LIMIcoLa PLATYRHYNCHA [ (Temm.). | PECTORAL SANDPIPER. Trinea macutata, Vierll. DUNLIN. Trinea aLprna, Linn. PURPLE SANDPIPER. TRinea striata, Linn. KITTIWAKE. Rissa PRIDACTYLA (Linz). GREAT BLACK-HEADED GULL. Larus 1cutTsyaeEtus, Pall. Cloth, 329 pages. Price 10s. 6d. Bol Rass... THE ELEMENTS OF ORNITHOLOGY. BY ST. GEORGE MIVART, F.R.S. With 174 Illustrations, whereof 140 are Original Drawings. “We can cordially recommend the ‘ Elements of Ornithology’ as con- taining a mine of modern information on the subject of birds, compressed into a small compass.” —The Ibis. “A scientific manual of excellent design. It presents a succinct and methodical treatment of the whole subject, and in its comprehensiveness of survey differs from all other single volumes devoted to the natural history of birds, with which we are acquainted. The introduction is illustrated by nearly two hundred drawings, most of which are new, and all admirably engrayed, comprising descriptions of representative birds of the leading classes, orders, and families. This portion occupies nearly one-half of the volume, and will equip the student with a thorough preliminary grasp of the subject; for, though truly scientific in plan, it treats of the more popular aspect of a fascinating branch of natural history in a very attractive style.”—Saturday Review. Demy 8vo, Cloth. Price 21s. A NATURALIST IN THE TRANSVAAL. BY We ee Salt AuIN aie With Coloured Plates of New Species and Original Drawings. “Mr. Distant could hardly have employed his time to better purpose, as his readers will acknowledge. He writes with authority on all matters of natural history, and his habits of close observation, acquired in zoological pursuits, have stood him in good stead in his study of the social and political condition of the Transvaal and the personal characteristics of the Boers. All naturalists will delight in the book, and political students will find in it much profitable instruction.” — Times. LONDON: R. H. PORTER, 18 PRINCES STREET, CAVENDISH SQUARE, W. Second Edition. Demy 8vo. Price 2s. 6d., post-free. BRITISH Bini. KEY List BY ; LIEUT.-COLONEL L. Howarp IRBY, AUTHOR OF ‘ ORNITHOLOGY OF THE STRAITS OF GIBRALTAR.’ SECOND EDITION, REVISED AND ENLARGED, Tus attempt at a “Key List” of British Birds is not intended for scientific ornithologists ; but for those who have only a slight knowledge of birds, so as to enable them to determine a species without having to search through bulky volumes. Every endeavour has been made to avoid technical and scientific terms and to be as concise as possible. “ This little work, compiled by one of our best practical Ornitho- logists and sportsmen, is intended for the use of those who already have a slight knowledge of birds, but require a handy guide to the diagnostic characters of the species as a companion when travelling. It promises to be most useful, and certainly represents a great deal of research in a small compass—NEARLY PERFECT.” — Atheneum. “This work, written by an excellent practical ornithologist, is likely to prove of great service, owing to the LARGE AMOUNT OF INFOR- MATION COMPRESSED INTO A SMALL CoMPASS.”—ZIbis, ‘¢ Has SUPPLIED A REAL WANT.” —WNature. Small 8vo, Cloth. Price 6s. SPORTING SKETCHES IN SOUTH AMERICA, BY ApmiraL KENNEDY (COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF EAST INDIA STATION). WITH MAP AND ILLUSTRATIONS. “‘The book is far more than a mere record of Sport, for quite as much is said about the countries visited as about the animals found in them, and many works of far higher pretensions do not contain half the ‘grit’ supplied by this little volume. * * * * bright little book.” — Atheneum. LONDON: R. H. PORTER, 18 PRINCES STREET, CAVENDISH SQUARE, W. PART XXV.| [OCTOBER 1893. COLOURED FIGURES OF THE BIRDS OF THE BRITISH ISLANDS. ISSUED BY LORD LILFORD, F.Z.S. &c., PRESIDENT OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION. ee ee LONDON: R. H. PORTER, 18 PRINCES STREET, CAVENDISH SQUARE, W. 1893. PRINTED BY TAYLOR AND FRANCIS,] Price 9s. 6d. {RED LION COURT, FLEET STREET. TO THE SUBSCRIBERS. As several Subscribers, who obtain copies of this Work through other Booksellers, have expressed a desire that their names should appear in the printed list of Subscribers, we beg to inform such that, if they will kindly send their names to the Publisher, their wishes will be cheerfully acceded to. CONTENTS yO = BOAT XG Xv SPOTTED EAGLE. (2 Prares.) | CURLEW SANDPIPER. Aquita Na&via (J. F. Gmelin). TRINGA suBARQUATA (Giilden- [stadt) . KILLDEER PLOVER. TAWNY, BROWN, or WOOD-OWL. : (Pirate or “ Grey Ract.”) Aieiavirrs vocirmra (Linn.). Syrnium atuco (Linn.). COMMON WILD SWAN or | GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL. WHOOPER. Cyenus musicus, Bechst. Larus marinus, Linn. BEWICK’S SWAN. | GOLDEN EAGLE. (Prare or Inma- TURE Brirp. Cyenus BEwIckI, Yarr. ) AQUILA cHRysaktTus (Linn.). PINK-FOOTED GOOSE. GREAT NORTHERN DIVER. ANSER BRACHYRHYNCHUS, CotymBus GLaciaLis, Linn. | Baillon. EARED GREBE. Popicers niericotuis, C. L. Brehm. Cloth, 329 pages. Price 10s. 6d. Pp TR Diss THE ELEMENTS OF ORNITHOLOGY. BY ST. GEORGE MIVART, F.R.S. With 174 Illustrations, whereof 140 are Original Drawings. “We can cordially recommend the ‘ Hlements of Ornithology’ as con- taining a mine of modern information on the subject of birds, compressed into a small compass.” —The Jbis. ‘“‘ A scientific manual of excellent design. It presents a succinct and methodical treatment of the whole subject, and in its comprehensiveness of survey differs from all other single volumes devoted to the natural history of birds, with which we are acquainted. The introduction is illustrated by nearly two hundred drawings, most of which are new, and all admirably engraved, comprising descriptions of representative birds of the leading classes, orders, and families. This portion occupies nearly one-half of the volume, and will equip the student with a thorough preliminary grasp of the subject; for, though truly scientific in plan, it treats of the more popular aspect of a fascating branch of natural history in a very attractive style.”—Saturday Review. Demy 8vo, Cloth. Price 21s. A NATURALIST IN THE TRANSVAAL. BY VA ne Mi Sil AGIN) i With Coloured Plates of New Species and Original Drawings. “Mr. Distant could hardly have employed his time to better purpose, as his readers will acknowledge. He writes with authority on all matters of natural history, and his habits of close observation, acquired in zoological pursuits, have stood him in good stead in his study of the social and political condition of the Transvaal and the personal characteristics of the Boers. All naturalists will delight in the book, and political students will find in if much profitable instruction.”— Times. LONDON: KR. H. PORTER, 18 PRINCES STREET, CAVENDISH SQUARE, W. Second Edition. Demy 8vo. Price 2s. 6d., post-free. BRITISH bikWws. Kae LST BY LIEUT.-COLONEL L. HOWARD IRBY, AUTHOR OF ‘ ORNITHOLOGY OF THE STRAITS OF GIBRALTAR.” SECOND EDITION, REVISED AND ENLARGED. Tus attempt at a “Key List”* of British Birds is not intended for scientific ornithologists ; but for those who have only a slight knowledge of birds, so as to enable them to determine a species without having to search through bulky volumes. ' Every endeavour has been made to avoid technical and scientific terms and to be as concise as possible. “This little work, compiled by one of our best practical Ornitho- logists and sportsmen, is intended for the use of those who already have a slight knowledge of birds, but require a handy guide to the diagnostic characters of the species as a companion when travelling. It promises to be most useful, and certainly represents a great deal of reseafch in a small compass—NEARLY PERFECT.”— Atheneum. “This work, written by an excellent practical ornithologist, is likely to prove of great service, owing to the LARGE AMOUNT OF INFOR- MATION COMPRESSED INTO A SMALL compass.”—Tbis. ‘* Has SUPPLIED A REAL want.” —WVature. Small 8vo, Cloth. Prize Ge SPORTING SKETCHES IN SOUTH AMERICA, BY ApmiraAL KENNEDY (COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF EAST INDIA STATION). WITH MAP AND ILLUSTRATIONS. «The book is far more than a mere record of Sport, for quite as much is said about the countries visited as about the animals found in them, and many works of far higher pretensions do not contain half the ‘grit’ supplied by this little volume. * * * * bright little book.” — Atheneum. LONDON: R. H. PORTER, 18 PRINCES STREET, CAVENDISH SQUARE, W. I