ii6 PLOVER GROUP 



from the island of Tromso, on the west coast of Finmark, in northern 

 Scandinavia, to the valley of the Yenisei, and perhaps farther, in the 

 east. Similarly, the winter -range includes the south of Europe, a 

 considerable portion of Africa, and southern Asia ; the eastern extent 

 being, however, somewhat greater, as this bird is found, although 

 rarely, in Burma, but the southern limits rather less, the species being 

 unknown in South Africa and scarce in the south of India and Ceylon. 

 In England, where it is usually represented by single immature birds, 

 Temminck's stint apparently agrees in general habits with the true 

 stint, but in its Arctic summer-home is said to be less completely a 

 shore-bird, and may not unfrcqucntly be seen inland perched on a 

 post or branch, or warbling during fhght a song which, although 

 louder and more shrill, has been compared to that of the grasshopper 

 warbler. In addition to this song, the bird has a characteristic call- 

 note of its own. In Tromso it is not uncommon to find several nests 

 within an area of a few yards of one another ; these being slight depres- 

 sions in the soil, lined sparsely with dry grass, and usually situated 

 within a short distance of water. As in the case of the true stint, the 

 incubating bird displays great boldness and tameness when the nest 

 is approached. Since it is the cock which is said to perform the 

 duties of incubation in the case of this species, it ma\- be argued from 

 analogy that the same holds good in the case of the true stint, although 

 the sitting bird has in one instance at least been described as the 

 female. In the case of the under-mentioned purple sandpiper the 

 male is known to take a large share in bringing up the young, although 

 the female may do a part of the incubating. The eggs of Temminck's 

 stint, owing to the less inaccessible and better-known regions in which 

 the species nests, were familiar to ornithologists long before those of 

 the true stint were discovered. They differ from the latter in being, 

 as a rule, somewhat paler coloured, with the markings less distinctly 

 defined. 



., , „ , In nearly all books on birds the species we venture 

 Sharp-tailed Sand- ^ ^ 



to designate the sharii-tailcd sandpiper will be found 

 piper 

 ,_ , , . V described under the title of the " pectoral sandpiper,"' 



fTring-a maculata). . , . , ^ ^ „ . ,. 



a truly atrocious name (derived froin Trtnga pcctoralts, 



one of the synonj'ms of the species; to apply to a harmless and 



unoffending bird. On the other hand, the name here emplo)-ed refers 



to a well-marked and distinctive characteristic of the species, namely, 



the lance-like and pointed form of the tail-feathers, more especially 



those other than the outer pair. In the relative shortness of the beak, 



