xMORE WADERS 83 



peculiar whistle in the most erratic manner. You 

 will not be able to look at a Green Sandpiper for 

 many minutes, under the most favourable circum- 

 stances, in this country ; at least such has been my 

 experience. He comes and goes with his whistle, a 

 kind of feathered express. Up to the present time 

 this bird has not been found breeding in England, 

 or rather the eggs have not been found. As this 

 Sandpiper lays its eggs and hatches them out in the 

 deserted nests of other birds, or in old dreys of 

 squirrels, and as this is not at all known in a general 

 way, it is not to be wondered at if he remains a 

 hideling. Who would think of looking in the nest 

 — deserted of course — of a Crow, a Wood Pigeon, 

 Blackbird, Jay, or Thrush for the eggs or young 

 of a dashing wader like this one ? Yet so it is. A 

 northern forester found this fact out, and he com- 

 municated his discovery to the naturalists of this 

 country some time ago. As usual, previous to this 

 important discovery — one that was very soon ap- 

 propriated — full descriptions of the eggs and nests 

 had been given, stating that the birds built on the 

 swamp grounds ; of course descriptions written by 

 those who had never seen them. From what I 

 have seen of this bird, I suspect that it has been 

 hatched out in the very wild parts of Surrey, Sussex, 

 and Hampshire, where we have at times met with 

 it, but none too often. 



Those who have been used to the ways of waders 

 from childhood, in their nesting season, can tell by 

 certain movements, which it would be perfectly useless 



