140 EGGS OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



THE MAKSH SANDPIPER, 



{Totanus stagnatilis.) 



One specimen of the Marsh Sandpiper has been recorded from 

 England, having been shot by the Hon. Walter Rothschild, on 

 the Tring reservoirs, in October, 1887. As, however, the specimen 

 was afterwards lost, it will be well to await the capture of other 

 examples before fully admitting the species into the British list. 



THE COMMON REDSHANK. 

 {Totanus calidris.) 



Plate 44, Figs. 2, 5. 



The Redshank is one of the commonest and best known of all 

 the Waders found in the British Islands. It breeds in all suitable 

 localities throughout the whole of Europe (excepting that, east of 

 the White Sea, its range gradually drops down to lat. 58° in the 

 Urals) and in North Africa. In the basin of the Mediterranean 

 it appears to be a resident, but to the whole of South Africa it is 

 only a winter visitor. In Siberia its breeding-range only extends 

 as far north as lat. 55°, and appears to be confined to the moun- 

 tains of Southern Siberia and Turkestan. It breeds in the 

 Caucasus, and probably on some of the Persian highlands. 



The nest is very slight : in many cases the centre of a tuft of 

 grass is trodden down into a receptacle for the eggs, but at other 

 times a few dead bents, straws, or scraps of moss, heath or reed 

 are placed as a lining to the selected hollow. 



The eggs are four in number, rather large for the size of the 

 bird, and pyriform in shape. They vary in ground-colour from 

 very pale buff to rich ochraceous-buff, and are spotted and blotched 

 with rich dark brown surface-markings, and with underlying spots 

 of paler brown and grey. On some eggs a few streaky lines of 

 dark brown are pencilled on the large end. Most of the stronger 

 markings are on the large end of the egg, and some specimens 

 are more finely and handsomely spotted than others. They vary 

 in length from 19 to 165 inch, and in breadth from 13 to 117 

 inch. They are not easily confused with the eggs of any other 

 British Wader, being yellower in colour than those of the Ruff 

 or Great Snipe, which they somewhat resemble. 



