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approach of danger. As MacGillivray notes, when searching for food 

 it often wades out into the water until it reaches nearly to the tarsal 

 joint and moves "with rapidity, running rather than walking and 

 almost constantly vibrating its body." It is interesting to note the 

 difference in the behavior of individual birds under similar circum- 

 stances. As a rule the incubating bird sits very closely and will 

 sometimes allow herself to be touched before leaving the eggs. When 

 flushed one bird will spring up and dart away with rapid flight and 

 a single cry of alarm, another will for a minte or two fly about with 

 deafening clamor, and in one case a bird dashed off but pitched 

 about five yards away, 3 T elping loudly and next minute flew straight 

 at my head, with repeated cries of Ip, chip, chip, ip, chip, chip, etc. 

 Just as it reached me it sheered off with its long green legs dangling, 

 but returned to the charge again, repeating the process ten or twelve 

 times, after which it settled on the ground and called vociferously, 

 but after 10 minutes had passed flew away still calling. This 

 behavior was, of course, quite exceptional. 



N. Gilroy (1922) lays great stress on one note uttered when the 

 bird is about to take its place on the eggs. This is a clear, piercing 

 cry of Tchook-tchook-tchook, continually uttered till the bird settles 

 down on the nest. It does not necessarily imply that the bird is 

 rendered uneasy by the presence of a watcher and is apparently used 

 even when the bird is quite undisturbed, so if one is lucky enough to 

 be within earshot when it is uttered it forms a valuable clue to the 

 position of the nest. 



Fall. — When the } 7 oung are fledged the family parties make their 

 way to the coast. Here the} 7 frequent the " pools of brackish water 

 at the heads of the sand fords and the shallow margins of the bays 

 and creeks" as MacGillivray says. The same writer describes its 

 flight as "rapid, gliding, and devious, it alights abruptly, runs to 

 some distance, stands and vibrates." By September or October at 

 the latest it leaves its haunts in Scotland and makes its way south- 

 ward along the coast line. 



Winter. — Although there are a few midwinter records even in the 

 British Isles by far the greater proportion of these birds spend the 

 winter from the Mediterranean southward and in southern Asia, the 

 Malay Archipelago, Australia, etc. Here they are chiefly known as 

 shore birds, only occasionally being found by the sides of inland 

 lakes and marshes. 



DISTRIBUTION 



Breeding range. — Scotland, chiefly in the north, but has extended 

 its range of late years; Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, south to 

 the governments of St. Petersburg, Pskov, Tula, Riazan, Kazan, 



