268 THE COMMON SANDPIPER 
THE WOOD SANDPIPER 
TOTANUS GLAREOLA 
Winter—a narrow dusky streak between the bill and eye; upper parts deep 
brown, spotted with white; breast and adjacent parts dirty white, 
mottled with ash-brown; under plumage and tail-coverts pure white ; 
tail-feathers barred with brown and white; two outer feathers on each 
side with the inner web pure white; bill and legs greenish. Summer— 
head streaked with brown and dull white; the white of the breast 
clearer; each of the feathers of the back with two white spots on each 
side of the centre. Length seven and a half inches. 
Turs species closely resembles the last both in appearance and habits. 
It received its name of Wood Sandpiper from having been observed 
occasionally to resort to boggy swamps of birch and alder, and has 
been seen even to perch on a tree. Its most common places of 
resort are, however, swamps and wet heaths. Like the last, it is a 
bird of wide geographical range, nowhere very abundant, and 
imperfectly known, coming only on passage in spring and autumn. 
, THE COMMON SANDPIPER 
TOTANUS HYPOLEUCUS 
Upper parts ash-brown, glossed with olive; back and central tail-feathers 
marked with fine wavy lines of rich dark brown; a narrow white streak 
over each eye; under plumage pure white, streaked at the sides with 
brown; outer tail-feathers barred with white and brown; bill dusky, 
lighter at the base; feet greenish ash. Length seven and a half inches. 
Eggs whitish yellow, spotted with brown and grey. 
To this bird has been given not inappropriately the name of Sum- 
mer Snipe. In form and mode of living it resembles the Snipe 
properly so called, and it is known to us only during summer. Un- 
like the last two species, it is a bird of common occurrence. One 
need only to repair to a retired district abounding in streams and 
lakes, at any period of the year between April and September, and 
there, in all probability, this lively bird will be found to have made 
for itself a temporary home. Arrayed in unattractive plumage, 
and distinguished by no great power of song—its note being simply 
a piping, which some people consider the utterance of one of its 
provincial names, ‘ Willy Wicket ’—it may nevertheless be pro- 
nounced an accomplished bird. It flies rapidly and in a tortuous 
course, likely to puzzle any but the keenest shot; it runs with » 
remarkable nimbleness, so that if a sportsman has marked it down, 
it will probably rise many yards away from the spot ; it can swim 
if so inclined ; and when hard pressed by a Hawk, it has been seen 
to dive and remain under water until all danger had passed away. 
It has never been observed to perch on the twigs of trees, but it 
has been noticed running along the stumps and projecting roots 
of trees. Its favourite places of resort are withy holts (where it 
