o 
104 A LONG ‘DAY WITH THE BIRDS 
ticated. The nest is made in spring on the 
sea-shore, just above high water-mark. It is 
only a slight scratching in the earth (compare 
that of the pee-wit, Part I, Plate XLIII), and 
generally four eggs, about two inches long, are 
laid, of a yellowish stone colour, spotted grey 
and dark brown. The birds are found round 
our coasts in various parts. They congregate 
in small flocks in autumn and winter. When 
once seen and heard they are not easily for- 
gotten. The birds are resident in this coun- 
try. I had seen many redshanks here in the 
early part of the year. Their habits too are 
much the same as those of the peewit (see 
Part [; Plate XLIIT), and -oyster-cateherm 
andthe nestissimilar. he redshank, which is 
just under a foot long, has red legs (whence 
name). The upper plumage is brown and the 
under parts white. Four eggs are laid very 
early in spring (April) of a yellowish-grey 
colour spotted and marked with purplish 
brown. They nest even before the peewits, 
but do not come up, I think, so far inland to 
nest as they do. They reside in Great Bri- 
