6 SCOLOPACID.E. 



one of the Sandpipers happened to be crossing the line of flight without attracting 

 my attention, and both birds dropped to the shot. The Sandpiper, when examined, 

 proved to be the female, and consequently all watching was at an end, as the 

 male would without doubt now desert the spot. Though there were but slight 

 hopes of success after this unfortunate mishap, a long and careful search was 

 made ; the nest, however, in the end remained undiscovered. That the birds 

 nested here in days gone by I have little doubt, as, while a temporary resident in 

 this part of the country, studying farming at Ferrygate, near North Berwick, in 

 lS6o and the following year, I noticed these birds in spring on two occasions and 

 imagined them to be Snipes, not having had access to any of the works that 

 described their habits during the breeding-season. The last time I went to inspect 

 this favourite haunt of waders and wild fowl, a few years back, a change had taken 

 place in the aspect of its surroundings, and it was evident that the former denizens 

 of the slades and swamps had been compelled to seek otlier quarters." 



Mr. H. Leyborne Popham has supplied me with the following interesting 

 note on the Wood-Sandpiper. He writes : — " I have observed a hitherto unknown 

 habit of this Sandpiper, namely, that it makes use of the old nest of Thrushes in 

 the same way that the Green Sandpiper {T. ocliroptis) does. In the valley of the 

 Yenisei, on June 17th and 18th, 1895, I found three nests so placed, and one in 

 the usual position on the ground. I can only imagine that in this district it 

 departs from its usual habit owing to the abundance of Fieldfares' and Redwings' 

 nests available. The sites of the nests were not in any risk of being flooded ; two 

 at all events were on high ground, well above the spring floods." * 



* [The discovery that the Green and Wood-Sandpiper have this habit incommou seems to increase 

 the probability of the habit being shared by the near ally of these two birds, the American Solitary 

 Sandpiper. — F. P.] 



