BLACK-TAILED GODWIT 309 



(late date April 7). It also stays in the plains of northern India 

 until March (late date Delhi, May 25). It passes through Portugal 

 in February and March; Italy in March and April; Greece (Febru- 

 ary 10, March 7, etc.); Montenegro, large flock March 17-25; Bul- 

 garia (March 10-31, flock of 200 on April 1). 



Fall migration. — The southward bound hosts arrive in Andalusia 

 in August-September, but in Portugal, though a few appear in Sep- 

 tember, most pass in October. In north Italy the earliest arrival 

 dates from the end of July, and in the Balkan Peninsular and the 

 passage lasts from September to November (early date August 18, 

 Bulgaria, late date November 13, Bulgaria), reaching Egypt in Oc- 

 tober. At the Euphrates marshes it arrives early in August and 

 reaches India in October (early date, Nepal, September 7). 



Egg dates. — In Holland and Germany the first eggs may be found 

 in the last 10 days of April and early May, but as they are largely 

 taken for the market, at that time, many sets in collections are second 

 and even third layings. Seven records, April 18-30 ; 10 records, May 

 1-10; 12 records, May 11-20; 8 records, May 21-25. In Jutland 

 breeding is rather later ; six records May 10-15 ; and still later in Ice- 

 land, six records, May 23-June 2. 



GLOTTIS NEBULARIA (Gunnerus) 



GREENSHANK 



Contributed by Francis Charles Robert Jourdaki 

 HABITS 



The claim of this species to a place in the North American list 

 dates back to Audubon, who obtained three specimens on Sand Key, 

 near Cape Sable, Florida. Since that occurrence no other specimens 

 have been obtained. 



Courtship. — There are few species the study of whose family life 

 is attended with greater difficulties than the greenshank. In the 

 first place it is an exceedingly wary and keen-sighted bird, and 

 furthermore, it is not sociable during the breeding season, each pair 

 nesting apart from its fellows in some of the wildest and most deso- 

 late country imaginable. In the British Isles its main breeding 

 grounds are on the vast expanse of sodden moorland, interspersed 

 here and there by lochs and "flows" (stretches of water-logged 

 ground with black peaty pools), which cover a great part of the 

 Scottish counties of Sutherland, Caithness, and Ross. Further 

 southward it also breeds on suitable ground in Inverness-shire and 

 other parts, but here the country is more broken and varied and 

 there are big stretches of old pine forest and more modern coniferous 

 plantations. In both classes of country observation is attended with 

 54267—27 21 



