620 GREENSHANK. 



as far as the Stanowoi Mountains ; while in winter it ranges 

 over the greater part of the eastern hemisphere down to the 

 AustraHan region. On May 28th 1832 Audubon obtained three 

 specimens in Florida, but since that date the bird has not been 

 noticed in North America, though examples ascribed to Buenos 

 Aires and Chile are in the Leiden Museum. The Greenshank is 

 well known on the coasts and inland waters of Europe, especially on 

 the autumnal passage, and considerable numbers go no further in 

 winter than the basin of the Mediterranean and the Canaries. 



The nest is often at some distance from water, or even on dry 

 ground among scattered pine-trees, but in Scotland it is generally 

 near the edge of a loch or other fresh water. Mr. Buckley mentions 

 finding three eggs between two stones on May 24th 1869, and on 

 passing the spot on May 26th 1871 a bird was sitting closely 

 between the same two stones and did not move until touched with 

 the point of a fishing-rod. The eggs, normally 4 in number, are of a 

 warm stone-colour, with blotches of purplish-grey and spots of rich 

 brown : measurements I'g by i"3 in. The male takes a large share 

 in the duties of incubation. When its haunts are approached, and 

 especially after the young are hatched, the Greenshank is very 

 vociferous, uttering a loud chee-zveet, chee-iveet^ and swooping round 

 the head of the intruder ; at other times it has a strong, rapid flight, 

 and, like other Sandpipers, it perches on trees. It feeds on small 

 fish and spawn, crustaceans, molluscs, worms, beetles &c., often 

 searching for the last in meadows frequented by cattle. 



The adult male in summer has the head and neck greyish-white 

 streaked with blackish-brown ; feathers of the mantle and secondaries 

 nearly black, edged with pale grey ; rump white ; tail-feathers white, 

 mottled and barred with brown ; under-parts white, with ash-brown 

 streaks and spots on the throat, breast and flanks ; bill slightly 

 upcurved and blackish ; legs and feet olivaceous. Length 14 in. 

 (bill 2 '2 5), wing 7*25, tarsus 2*25 in. Li winter the upper parts are 

 greyer and the under surface is pure white. The immature bird has 

 tawny margins to the dorsal feathers, while the chest and flanks are 

 minutely pencilled with blackish-grey ; tarsi greenish, bluer at the 

 joints. 



It is asserted in Littleboy's ' Birds of Hertfordshire ' that a Marsh- 

 Sandpiper, T. stagnatilis, was shot near Tring Reservoirs in October 

 1887, but the bird was not submitted to competent authorities at 

 the time, and has since been burned. This Greenshank in miniature 

 has been known to visit Heliefoland and Northern France. 



