REDSHANK 



99 



of marshes, or " jhils," than elsewhere. The nest, which is said to 

 be exceedingly difficult to discover, and is generally stumbled upon 

 accidentally, is usually on open and dry ground near a marsh, where 

 there is shelter of heath, grass, or low bush. The eggs are remarkabh- 

 handsome, having a ground-colour varying from very pale green to 

 pale or even bright buff, with spots and blotches (the latter generalh- 

 aggregated at the larger end) of reddish and chocolate-brown, and under- 

 lying markings of faint lilac. About i^ inches is the average length. 



Redshank With that well-known British wader, the redshank, 



(Totanus ealidris) ^^^ come to the typical representative of the genus 

 Totaims, which is a larger bird than any of the 

 members of the group hitherto mentioned (the length of the wing 

 exceeding instead of being less than 6 inches), and is further dis- 

 tinguished by the orange-red colour of the legs from which it derives 

 its name, and also 

 by having the outer 

 secondary quills of 

 the wing and a patch 

 on the rump wholly 

 white. Redshanks 

 breed throughout the 

 greater part of 

 Europe (namel}', 

 from the Mediterr- 

 anean countries to 

 the Faroes, Iceland, 

 and to about lat. jo' 

 in Scandinavia), and 

 from Asia Minor 

 through the heart of 

 the Asiatic continent 

 to the south-east of 



Siberia ; while in winter they visit Africa and southern Asia, in- 

 clusive of India, Ceylon, Burma, and the Malay Archipelago. A 

 frequenter during the breeding -season of marshy districts, such as 

 the Norfolk Broads and the tideway of rivers, this bird used to nest 

 in suitable spots throughout the greater portion of the British Islands, 

 but drainage and cultivation have now greatly restricted its breeding- 

 places. Both in Wales and the Outer Hebrides, it is, however, reported 

 to be a rare species, although it breeds in most of the Irish counties. 



HE ROWLAND WARD STUDIOS 



REDSHANK. 



