266 CATALOGUE OF BIRDS. 



small stones. The eggs are four in number, stone- 

 buff, spotted with black. Two broods are reared." 

 Owing to the similarity in the colour of the eggs to 

 their natural surroundings, they are extremely hard 

 to find, especially when the parent birds practice 

 every artifice to draw you away from their where- 

 abouts. This also may be applied to the finding of 

 the young birds, which, when being warned by the 

 alarm note of the parents, squat as tight as possible, 

 and though you may be close to them you will have 

 to look a long time before detecting them, so well 

 does the colour of their down blend with that of the 

 stones around. Sanderlings have a very wide range 

 abroad. 



The Common Sandpiper. 

 Order, Lifiiicolce. Fafuily, Ckaradriidcs. 



This bird, often known as the Summer Snipe, 

 usually arrives on our coast during the month of 

 April, although these, doubtless, are only the 

 pioneers of the greater number which arrive in May. 

 The Common Sandpiper is more abundant on the 

 lochs in Scotland than anywhere else — it is also fairly 

 common in Wales and Ireland, whilst in the south of 

 England its breeding-grounds are decidedly scarce. 

 The specimens in the case were shot in the 

 Hebrides — one of the two, as far as I can remem- 

 ber, beinor baooed on a loch about six miles distant 

 from Loch Boisdale, where I was trout fishing. 

 Often and often have I watched the antics of this 



