WOOD-SANDPIPER. 5 



we had before sprung twice or thrice. This time it rose from its nest, in which 

 were the usual four eggs in a perfectly fresh state. At length we reached the 

 nest, the great prize of the day, but the bird was not on. Both male and female, 

 however, soon made their appearance overhead, and a futile attempt was made 

 to shoot them : they then both took off and settled by the side of a small pool in 

 the middle of the heather. Mr. Reay then crept up and succeeded in killing the 

 male bird. Thus, after several hours laboiur, we succeeded in establishing the 

 fact that our find was really the nest of the Wood-Sandpiper. And we had the 

 satisfaction of knowing that this was the only instance of its having been taken in 

 Britain. 



" Thus, in our afternoon's ramble over the Car, we had found the nests of six 

 species of water fowl, three of which must be considered rare ; and one had never 

 before been found breeding in the British Islands 



"Prestwick Car was drained in 1857, and, with the drainage, many objects of 



interest to the naturalist have disappeared from the district The birds 



that congregated there have been dispersed, and several that had, on account of 

 their breeding in that place ranked as residents, have now become mere visitants." 



The late Mr. E. T. Booth appears to have narrowly missed discovering the 

 nest of this Sandpiper in East Lothian. He writes * : — " Early in June 1867 I 

 fell in with a pair evidently nesting on Gullane Links in East Lothian ; the birds 

 had taken up their quarters on the lower portion of the sandy flats towards the 

 west, where there were large patches of green rushes and long coarse grass. My 

 attention was first attracted by one of the birds darting through the air and going 

 through much the same performance as the Common Snipe, though the sounds 

 emitted were not so loud ; these extraordinary antics were carried on for some 

 time, and finally both birds were lost sight of during a prolonged fiight towards 

 the east. All would, Avithout doubt, have gone well, and the nest been discovered, 

 had not a Snipe appeared on the scene, and continued hovering round over the 

 same s]3ot, where it was shortly joined by another. Half an hour later one of the 

 Wood-Sandpipers was again soaring over, dashing down in the same manner as 

 previously witnessed ; in a few minutes the Snipes were also circling round. As 

 the number of birds on wing was somewhat perplexing when an attempt was 

 made at a distance to follow the movements of the Sandpipers through the glasses, 

 I determined to shoot one or, if possible, both of the Snipes, and leave the place 

 clear for the inspection of the Sandpipers. An opportunity soon occurred, as one 

 of the Snipes dashed round ; but, unluckily, at the moment the trigger was pulled 



* ' Eough Notes on Birds observed in tiie British Islands,' vol. ii. 



2k 



