EXPLANATION OF PLATE. 



Nos. I and 3 are taken from eggs of Tringa tcinniiiicki, ex mis. — Mr. H. E. Dresser. 



Nos. 2 and 4 to 8 are taken from eggs of Tiiiiga minuta. — Taken by Mr. H. J. 

 Pearsox. 



No. 9 is from an egg taken at Tamso, and may be looked upon as a very richly 

 marked, but otherwise typical egg of Little Stint, Tringa nniiHta. 



I have had numerous opportunities of collecting eggs of Temmincks 

 Stints, and have handled many freshly blown and unblown specimens 

 — especially upon the sandy shores and willow-scrub covered islands of 

 the banks and delta of the Dvina — as well as renewing acquaintance 

 with the species along the banks and on the islands of the delta of 

 the Pitchora : and Eastward of the Pitchora, though in diminishing 

 numbers. 



I cannot recall any instance (in my own experiences) in which eggs 

 of the Temmincks Stint could be mistaken for any of the eggs of the Little 

 Stint which Seebohm and I obtained upon the spongy tundra around 

 Dvoinik. 



A greenish tint pervaded the ground colour of all freshly taken eggs 

 of Temmincks Stint, which was rarely (never) found in any one of the 

 eggs of the Little Stint which we obtained. 



In fact, the eggs of the Little Stint were^as described in the Ibis 

 and in the text of my Journals, ''Miniature Dunlins" — running through 

 most of the same colour variations as those of their larger relatives. But, 

 so far as my experiences went, Temmincks Stints eggs were much less 

 like eggs of Dunlins, both in contours and in colours ; so much so, indeed, 

 that we were always remarking upon the fact. 



Also, so far as my experiences have taught me in these localities, and 

 many times again since — as a large series of Temmincks Stints lay in my 

 cabinet under repeated examination — that green colour faded, but remained 

 longer apparent if the shells were held up to the light ; but even that faded 

 out in course of time. 



Temmincks Stints, in my experiences, selected dry and even sandy 

 soil, and their sparsely lined nests were usually — rarely otherwise — mere 

 cup-shaped hollows in the ground. But Little Stints nests were perfectly 

 different in form, and were placed up upon the tundra, and deeply lined 

 with the Arctic plant leaves which grew in rank profusion within reach of 

 the small birds' bills as they sat on the nests. 



In the Plate, Nos. i and 3 (Temmincks) are purposely figured as most 

 nearly approaching variations of the Little Stint, and No. 2 is selected as 

 the nearest approach of a Little Stint's to the variations beside it on either 

 hand. I cannot help thinking, however, Nos. i and 3 have been taken 

 from faded specimens, as they lack the greenish ground colour. As already 

 said, I speak solely from my own personal experience in the field. 



In conclusion, 1 consider the habits of the two species to be so widely 

 different— their habitats, their feeding grounds, their flight and cry, and 

 behaviour at their nests, not to speak of their rather different dispersal and 

 routes of migration, so far as is known — as to cause me to look upon 

 Temmincks Stint as a typical Riverine or fresh-water-haunting species, and 

 upon the Little Stint as more Maritime. 



