596 GREEN SANDPIPER. 



tinuing its course through the Lake district to Cape Colony. In 

 summer it is found throughout Asia from the Arctic circle to the 

 great mountain ranges, while from July onwards it visits the rest of 

 that continent down to Burma. 



The remarkable deviation of the Green Sandpiper from the 

 nesting-habits of other waders was first brought before the notice 

 of the majority of British readers by Prof Newton (P.Z.S. 1863, 

 pp. 529-532); but an intimation of its preference for trees had 

 been given in ' Naumannia ' for 1851-52, and Forester Hinz had 

 communicated full details (J. f. O. 1S62, p. 460) respecting its nidi- 

 fication as observed in Pomerania from 1818. The eggs, some- 

 times laid as early as April i6th, have often been found in old 

 squirrels' drey's, or the nests of Song- and Missel-Thrushes, Black- 

 birds, Jays and Wood-Pigeons ; occasionally on the ground, or on 

 moss-covered stumps, broken-down trees, and spines heaped upon 

 branches of firs — at elevations reaching to 35 feet, but always in prox- 

 imity to pools. The eggs are pale greenish-grey, with small purplish- 

 brown spots, and are normally 4 in number ; though, as is the case 

 with some other waders, 7 have been found together, doubtless the 

 produce of two females : average measurements i"55 by 1*1 in. 

 Woodland streams and ponds, peaty swamps and meadow-drains 

 are the favourite haunts of this species, rather than the vicinity of 

 the sea. It is generally observed alone or in pairs, at most in 

 family parties ; while it frequently shifts its feeding-grounds for no 

 assignable reason. The flight is rapid and glancing; the note is 

 a shrill tiii-tiii-tui. The food consists chiefly of insects, small red 

 worms and fresh-water snails ; the flesh has a disagreeable musky 

 odour, like that of the preceding species. 



The adult is larger than the Wood-Sandpiper, and rather greener 

 in tint, with fewer spots on the upper parts, whiter tail-coverts, much 

 broader black bars on the cent?'al tail-feathers, pure white belly and 

 under tail-coverts, and hro7i'nish-black axillaries with narrow angular 

 bars of white: these distinctive characters are figured on p. 598. 

 Length 9*5 in. ; wing 5*5 in. The young show less of the metallic- 

 green tinge on the upper parts, while the spots are fewer and less 

 purely white. 



The Green Sandpiper has only one large notch on each side of 

 the posterior margin of the sternum, and was therefore placed in a 

 separate genus, Helodromas, by Kaup, who further created i^/^>'a- 

 cophilus for the Wood-Sandpiper. 



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