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or downs, often miles from water, to which it will 

 repair at night. This species is only a summer visitor 

 with us, and somewhat local. It utters a very loud 

 and weird call, especially by night. 



A common inhabitant, during the summer, of 

 our streams and lakes is the Common Sandpiper, 

 which cannot fail to attract attention as, on being 

 disturbed, it flits with peculiarly graceful flight down 

 the stream just ahead of you, and, if it be watched 

 when settled on the shore, one may notice the peculiar 

 light and graceful motion which it imparts to its 

 whole body, swinging the head and tail up and down 

 alternately. 



Nearly allied to this species are the Wood and 

 Green Sandpipers, almost indistinguishable from each 

 other, which only visit us on passage when going to 

 and from their northern breeding haunts. The Green 

 Sandpiper differs, however, from its congener, and all 

 the rest of the order, by la\dng its eggs in the old 

 and disused nest of a Fieldfare or Redwing. 



In the North of Scotland may be found another 

 peculiar little Wader — the Red-necked Phalarope. 

 This little bird is the most aquatic of all the Waders, 

 and spends much of its time swimming on the water 

 like a Duck, for which style of life it has been 

 modified in having lobed feet and its feathers being 

 close, thick, and impervious to water, while even its 

 beak shows a tendency to become flattened. In this 

 species the hen is the brighter bird and does all the 

 courting, while on the duller coloured cock devolves 

 all the housekeeping duties. 



The Ruff, once so common on the marshes of 

 East Anglia, is a species in which the male, on the 

 approach of spring, dons a plumage of man}' colours, 

 and so variable is it that no two males can be found 

 exactly alike. The males, at that time of the year, 



