HeiT Badeker's and Dr. Brewer^s Oological Works. 405 



Falcon " ? And we suspect, though we will not take on ourselves 

 to assert the fact, that there are similar instances to be found 

 among the French synonyms. 



The information given in Mr. Badeker^s work respecting the 

 nidification of the Green Sandpiper will most likely astonish the 

 minds of British Ornithologists, though they may be already 

 prepared for something extraordinary in the economy of a bird 

 whose comings and goings are certainly not well understood. 

 Those gentlemen who have lately tried to elucidate the mystery 

 will be at least surprised to learn that they should have searched 

 for the eggs of this species not only in the localities usually fre- 

 quented by other birds its neai*est allies, but as " the fir-trees are 

 a dwelling for the Stork," so are they also, it would seem, occa- 

 sionally for the Green Sandpiper ! Hear our authors : — 



" The nest is sometimes on the ground in a depression, or on 

 a little hillock or the stump of a tree. The four eggs lie in a 

 sort of nest of twigs [Genist), dry-grass, or fir-tree-needles. 

 Often, however, also an old nest of Tardus musicus or T. visci- 

 vorus will be used; indeed Forester Hintz once found the eggs 

 in a nest of Columha turtur, eighteen feet from the ground." 



This sounds odd to our ears, but the original account, 

 which appeared, we believe, in * Naumannia,' is so circum- 

 stantial that we hardly know whether what seems to us the 

 antecedent improbability of such a thing justifies us in doubting 

 the statement. In our ignorance of the frank-spoken Forester^s 

 capabilities of rightly judging the evidence of his own senses, 

 and giving him all the credit due to a man whose veracity has 

 only been impeached by the character of his own testimony, 

 which is certainly contrary to the experience of most people, we 

 are compelled to look upon the question as a thorough contest 

 of opposite improbabilities, and to confess that it would be a 

 relief to us if his statement were confirmed by some other reli- 

 able witness. 



There is one reflection soothing to our national vanity, with 

 which we close Herr Badeker^s portfolio of plates and letter- 

 press. This is, that though we do not pretend to know what 

 gems " of purest ray serene " the dark unfathomed drawers of 

 German egg-cabinets may contain, we are disposed to question 



