i8o 



British Birds. 



The Solitary Tattler. 



THE SOLITARY Distinguished 



TATTLER. ^^^^ jj^g f^^^^. 



{Helodromas . , , . 



,., ■ > going by having 



solitaniis.) 



no white on the 



rump ; the white bars on the 



a.xillaries are much broader than 



in the Green Sandpiper. It is a 



North American species, and has 



occurred three times within the 



British area, once in Scotland, on 



the Clyde, once in the Scilly 



THE COMMON 



SUMMER-SNIPE. 



(Triiigoides 



hypolcitcus.) 



Set p. 179. 



Islands and once in Cornwall. 



This little bird differs from the Tattlers in its short bill, short 

 legs and more pointed wings, the long secondaries being nearly 

 equal to the primaries in length. It nests on the moors of the 

 south-west of England and in Wales, in the north of England 

 and Scotland, and in every county in Ireland. In other parts 

 of Great Britain it is a common migrant. It nests throughout 

 Northern and Central I'Airope in suitable localities, as well as in Northern Asia, 

 and winters in Africa, India and Australia. 



At the nesting-place the ' Summer-Smpe ' is ver}' demonstrative, and makes a 

 great fuss when its domain is invaded. A pair is to be found in Norway at 

 about every quarter of a mile, nesting on the green banks by the rivers or on 

 the sides of the lakes, but the nest is always hard to discover. The species is never 

 found in large flocks, though small family parties may be seen during the autumn 

 migration, frequenting the pasture lands near the shores of the ri\ers, and often 

 feeding round the cattle, when they keep up a bobbing motion of the tail like 

 a Wagtail. The nest is a depression in the moss, and the eggs are four in 

 number, pear-shaped, clay-colour or greenish-white, with spots and blotches of 

 chocolate-brown and purplish-grey. 



The winter plumage of this 

 species is almost identical with 

 that of our Summer-Snipe, 

 but it may be recognised by 

 the black sub-terminal bar on 

 all the secondaries, none of which are entirely 

 white as in the preceding species, and also by 

 the colour of the bill, which is yellow for some 

 distance along the under mandible. It is a North 

 American species, which is believed to have oc- 

 curred in Great Britain. In habits and nesting it The Spotted Summer-Snipe. 



THE SPOTTED 



SUMMER-SNIPE. 



(Tringoidcs 



viaculartus.) 



