127 
coarse grass and a few feathers. ‘The eges, vary- 
ing from four to six in number, are of a greenish 
white colour, blotched with dark brown at the 
larger end. The flight of the Swallow-tailed Kite 
is singularly beautiful, and its motions astonishingly 
rapid. It generally feeds while on the wing, making 
its prey not only of such small insects as grass- 
hoppers, but also of snakes and frogs. 
LENO: FE. 
Knut, Rep, or AsH-coLOURED SANDPIPER. 
Trinaa Canutvs, Lin. 
This species arrives from the north in the begin- 
ning of September, and returns at the end of April 
or beginning of May. It occurs in flocks on all 
our shores, and is met with chiefly on: sands and 
the margins of estuaries. It breeds in the northern 
regions of both Continents, living during summer 
in the marshes. Its food consists of worms, crus- 
tacea, insects, &c. The winter plumage differs to 
a considerable degree in colour from that of the 
breeding season. In winter, when it is called the 
Ash-coloured Sandpiper, the plumage is ash grey 
above, white beneath, and the neck and sides are 
streaked with dusky lines; while in summer the 
back is of a glossy black, variegated with yellowish 
