THE GREENSHANK 199 



are able to take to the water, though they do not do so 

 under ordinary conditions. One has been known, how- 

 ever, to throw itself repeatedly under water in order to 

 escape the attentions of a Hawk. During the nesting 

 season the Greenshank is essentially an Arctic bird. It is 

 found in the wild districts of Scandinavia, and is numerous 

 in Finland and in Northern Russia. In Asia it extends 

 north to beyond 65 degrees, and eastward is found 

 in Kamschatka. It winters in the basin of the Medi- 

 terranean, and through Africa it extends as far south as 

 Cape Colony. Those Greenshank with their nesting 

 quarters in Northern Asia go south, with the approach 

 of the cold weather, to the Indian Ocean and east to China 

 and Japan. During the cold season it also visits the 

 Malay Archipelago, Tasmania, and Australia. 



Description. — Head and neck light grey, heavily 

 lined with lighter grey. Amongst the interscapulars 

 are many black feathers margined with white. Long 

 inner secondaries ash grey, spotted on margins with 

 darker grey. Lower back and rump pure white ; upper 

 tail coverts white, barred with black. Tail white with 

 black bars. Wing coverts dusky brown ; major coverts 

 barred with black. Primaries black, the outermost having 

 white shafts. Under parts white. Side of head, neck 

 and forebreast white, lined with black. Flanks barred 

 with black. Bill black. Legs and feet green. Iris dark 

 brown. After the autumn moult the upper parts are 

 greyer and are less heavily striated. The full-fledged 

 young are dark brown above with buff margins to the 

 feathers. The downy young are pale buff above, with 

 a triangular black spot on the crown, and the black loral 

 stripe continued backwards behind the eye to merge with 

 the black line on the nape. Back marked by median and 

 lateral stripes of black. Under parts white. 



