240 BEITISH nnWS' XESTS. 



^Yitll dirty \vliite patches on nearl}' all the inner 

 webs, the secondaries tipped with white. Tail-quills 

 greenish-brown in the centre, barred with greenish- 

 black, the outer webs of the two outside feathers 

 on either side white, barred with greenish-black. 

 Chin, throat, breast, behy, vent, and under tail- 

 coverts white ; sides of the neck and upper portion 

 of the l^reast duller, and streaked with dark brown 

 or dull black. Legs and toes pale bluish-green ; 

 claws dark brown. 



The female resembles the male. 



Situation and Locality. — On the ground ; in a 

 hole in a bank, under the shelter of a tuft of grass, 

 in a tuft of rushes ; sometimes in a slight declivity 

 on the bare ground, or in a patch of grass amongst 

 large stones on a little river island ; on the banks 

 of rivers, mountain streams with rough, gravell}', 

 and rocky banks, lakes, tarns, and reservoirs, in the 

 extreme South-west of England (Cornwall, Devon, 

 and Somerset), Wales, Derbyshire, the six northern 

 counties Scotland, and its surrounding islands, 

 and Ireland. Our illustration was procured in 

 Mull. 



Materials. — Short pieces of dead rushes, some- 

 times dead leaves, with an inner lining of fine dry 

 grass. 



Eggs. — Four, pale straw to creamy-yellow in 

 ground colour, with dark brown spots and blotches 

 on the surface, and underlying markings of light 

 brown and grey. Size about l*.j by 1"08 in. 



Time. — Maj^ and June. 



HemavlxS. — Migratory, arriving in April, and 

 departing in September, although individuals may 

 be seen later. Xotes : iViieet, wlieet, ivlieet. Local 

 and other names : Summer Snipe, Sand Lark, Willy 

 Wicket, Sand Lavrock, Spotted Sandpi^^er. Sitting 



