Mr. W. C. Tait on the Birds of Portugal. 391 



Like the other Scolopacidse, they are tame when they first 

 arrive^ but before they go back the winter- residents have 

 learnt to be wild. 



235. Machetes pugnax (Linn.). 



The RufF is not very common here. My notes mention its 

 appearance in September, February, and March. 



236. Calidris arenaria (Linn.) . 



The Sanderling arrives at Oporto in the month of August, 

 and is then common ; I have seen it also in September and 

 November. 



237. ToTANus HYPOLEucus (Linn.). " Lavadeira/^ Monte 

 Mor o velho. 



The Common Sandpiper is abundant at the mouth of the 

 Douro from August to the end of October, and I have seen 

 a straggler as late as the 4tli of December. At Le9a de 

 Palmeira creek, about three miles further north, they arrive 

 with great regularity between the 17th and 20th July. Some 

 pairs nest on the river Minho, where, on the 8th of June, 

 1882, I found a nest containing four eggs on a small islet 

 on the Spanish side, above Caldelas de Tuy. I saw the bird 

 fly off the nest, which was on the dry mud under a willow 

 shrub and was lined with a few stalks of grass. On the fol- 

 lowing day I found, another containing four eggs on an islet 

 on the Portuguese side of the same river. The bird flew oft' 

 the nest close to my feet, and as it settled on a mud-bank 

 close by, I had a good opportunity of identifying it through 

 my field-glass. This nest was lined with dried grass and a 

 few leaves. Several other pairs were seen during the same 

 visit. The Common Sandpiper will probably be found to 

 breed also on the rivers Lima and Douro. As the migratory 

 movement begins as early as the middle of July, it cannot be 

 the lowering of the temperature that induces it to travel, as 

 from that time till the middle of August is usually the hottest 

 part of the year in this country. It is partial to muddy 

 banks more than sand, and also to stones covered with green 

 weed. Dogs have a dislike to retrieve this bird on account 

 of the strong acrid smell from the plumage. The name 



