150 EGGS OP BRITISH BIRDS. 



migration. It is essentially an Arctic bird, breeding in the Old 

 World portion of the circumpolar region, on the tundra above 

 the limit of forest-growth, and in similar localities on the banks 

 of the great rivers as far south as lat. 65° on the shores of the 

 White Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia, to lat. 55° on the shores of 

 the Sea of Ochotsk. 



The nests are mere depressions in the ground, lined with a 

 little dry grass, and are seldom far from water. 



The eggs of Temminck's Stint are four in number, and vary in 

 ground-colour from pale buff to pale olive and pale greyish-green ; 

 they are spotted and blotched with reddish-brown and dark brown, 

 and with underlying markings of pale brown and purplish-grey. 

 The markings are largest and most numerous on the large end of 

 the egg, where they are often confluent and form an irregular 

 zone or a large irregular mass. On many eggs there are a few 

 dark streaks on the large end, and the small spots are generally 

 distributed almost evenly over the entire surface. The eggs vary 

 in length from 12 to 1/05 inch, and in breadth from 087 to 0'8 

 inch. It is impossible to give any characters by which the eggs 

 of Temminck's Stint may always be distinguished from those of 

 the Little Stint. As a rule the eggs of the latter bird are more 

 buff in ground-colour, and the markings are larger, bolder, and of 

 a richer brown. 



THE SANDEKLING. 



( Ca lidris a rena ria.) 



Plate 41, Fig. 4. 



The Sanderling visits all suitable portions of the coasts of the 

 British Islands in autumn and in spring, on its way to and from 

 its northern breeding-grounds. It is a circumpolar bird, and 

 doubtless breeds throughout the Arctic regions, as it has been 

 found on the Anderson Eiver (lat. 68°), in Grinnell Land 

 (lat. 82^°), Sabine Island (lat. 74£°), and in Iceland (lat. 65°). 



A nest found by Colonel Feilden was placed on a gravel ridge, 

 several hundred feet above sea-level, and consisted merely of a 

 slight depression in the centre of a recumbent plant of willow, 

 lined with a few dead leaves and last year's catkins. 



