GREEN SANDPIPER. 23I 



" No writer has, to my knowledge, mentioned this ' breeding 

 migration.' Has the fact been overlooked, or may the district of 

 Hereford, Ross, and Gloucester, be an exception to the rule ? In 

 this respect (speaking locally) the Sandpiper stands unique among 

 all our visitants." 



Another confirmation of this fact is supplied by Mr. James W. 

 Lloyd, of Kington : — "Two years ago (1883), I was taken by a 

 young man to see a nest he had found on the ground, on a hill 

 near this town, by a small stream. On arriving at the spot he 

 threw himself suddenly down, and caught the bird on her nest. 

 It was a Sandpiper, and after admiring her slender form and 

 elegant marking, she was set at liberty. Her beautiful eggs, which 

 would have been deserted after such a disturbance, were taken, 

 and now adorn my cabinet." 



Genus— HELODROMAS. 



HELODROMAS OCHROPUS— Green Sandpiper. 



\Totanus ochropiLS — Yarrell?^ 



This bird, though a frequent spring and autumn visitant to the 

 British Islands, has not been recorded as occurring in Hereford- 

 shire until quite recently. Mr. James W. Lloyd, of Kington 

 writes, " that Green Sandpipers with their young have been seen 

 both this year (1887) and last, during the late summer." He 

 thinks it probable that they breed in the secluded parts of the 

 county, though the eggs have not yet been discovered. 



Professor Newton was the first to discover the curious fact, 

 which has since been attested by other observers, that the Green 

 Sandpiper lays its eggs in old deserted nests on trees, but always 

 in the vicinity ot water. The young birds will jump down from the 

 nests without difficulty, and immediately hide themselves in the 

 grass. 



