618 



APPENDIX. 



GREENSHANK. 



{Totanus glottis, Bechstein. Temm. Man. d'Orn. ii. p. 659. T. 

 fistulans, Bechst. Naturg. Deut iv. p. 241. No. 8. and T. griseus, 

 Ibid. No. 5. [the young of the year], also La Barge Grise, Briss. 

 Ois. V. p. 267. pi. 13. fig. 1. and Greenshank, Penn. Brit. Zool. 



^ p. 121. t. C. 1.) 



Sp. Charact. — Bill stout, much compressed at its base, and higher 

 than it is wide ; under wing-coverts banded ; the feet greenish. 



This species inhabits the north of both continents, but 

 is much more rare in America than Europe. It is abund- 

 ant in Russia, Siberia and Sweden, and as a bird of pas- 

 sage in spring and autumn is seen in Britain, France and 

 Holland. It has also been brought from Bengal in India, 

 and stragglers have been taken, according to Pennant, in the 

 vicinity of New York. Mr. Audubon likewise met with it 

 at the Tortugas, near to the extremity of East Florida, and 

 Latham received it from Jamaica. It is probably more 

 abundant on the western side of America. 



The Greenshank most commonly frequents the gravelly 

 borders of rivers and marshes, and but rarely visits the sea- 

 coast except at the period of migration. Some are even 

 supposed to pass the summer in England in the fens ; the 

 egg of which is said to resemble that of the Lapwing, but is 

 rather less, being of an olive-brown, covered all over with 

 small dusky spots. The greater part of the species retire 

 however to the north to breed. Their food consists of fry, 

 small fish, and shelly mollusca. 



The length of this species is about 14 inches. Bill about 2^ inches 

 long, dusky. Irids hazel. — In the pointer plumage of both sexes, the 

 space between the upper mandible and the eye, throat, middle of the 

 breast, belly, all the other lower parts and the middle of the back, 

 pure white. Head, cheeks, sides and fore part of the neck, and also 

 the sides of the breast streaked longitudinally with ashy-brown and 



