338 CHARADRIIDA 
Flight.—The flight is remarkably swift and powerful. 
The strong angular shoulders are seen to great advantage as 
the bird, with a twisting motion, cuts or glances through 
the air, alternately ascending and descending. The white 
feathers of the rump are very noticeable in flight. 
Food.—This consists of various kinds of insects, worms, 
and fresh-water shell-fish. Mr. Rh. Patterson found fresh- 
water snails and shells in the stomach of an adult female. 
Like that of the preceding species, the flesh has an 
objectionable musky smell. 
Voice.-—The alarm-note resembles in tone that of the 
Common Sandpiper, but is fuller, often doubled, and more 
song-like. It may be syllabled ¢tui-tiii-tii-tai-tii. Myr. 
Ussher compares the voice, heard at a distance, to the 
sound produced when a person blows on a piped key. 
Nest.—The Green Sandpiper breeds in quiet unfrequented 
districts in the vicinity of marshes, pools, or rivers. It is 
still more arboreal in its habits than the preceding species, 
only a small proportion of birds nesting on the ground; the 
disused nests of the Thrush, the Blackbird, the Ring- dove, 
or the Squirrel’s drey, may be appropriated for breeding- 
purposes. The eggs, four in number, are light greenish-grey 
in colour, spotted with purple- brown. 
It has been inferred that as the Green Sandpiper occurs 
not only singly, but in pairs in some districts in England 
during the entire breeding-season, a few birds may breed in 
our Isles; proof, however, is still wanting. 
Geographical distribution.—Abroad, this species breeds 
in Northern and Central Europe, as far south as Germany, 
but in the more western countries it occurs chiefly on 
migration. Eastward it is found nesting over Northern and 
Temperate Asia, while in winter it visits India and other 
parts of Southern Asia, as well as the adjoiing Islands. 
Its lines of migration along the African Continent extend to 
Cape Colony on the east side, though not much further than 
Central Africa on the west side. 
DESCRIPTIVE CHARACTERS. 
PLUMAGE. Adult male nuptial.— Top of head and 
hind-neck, dark greyish-brown; back, scapulars, and 
wings, glossy greenish-brown, speckled with white; ramp 
and upper tail-coverts, chiefly white, the latter con- 
spicuous when the bird flies; primaries, blackish, shaft of 
