THE BIRD-LIFE OF LONDON 
spending its time daintily tripping round the margin of 
pools or alongside rivers, streams, and canals. It is not 
very shy, and often allows an observer to watch its active 
movements within a few yards. It runs to and fro 
very quickly, pausing now and then and beating its tail 
up and down like a Wagtail. When alarmed it flies off 
uttering a shrill weet, and with long wings striking the 
surface settles again in a quieter spot. Like the Swallow 
it returns yearly to some particular place to breed, and 
passes the same spots each year on its annual migrations. 
In the love season the male utters a trilling note, often 
soaring whilst doing so. Its food consists of insects and 
larve, worms, crustaceans and other minute marine 
creatures, together with small ground fruits. It com- 
mences to breed in May, and eggs may be found during 
that month and June. ‘The nest is a simple little affair 
on or near to the waterside, a hollow lined with vegetable 
fragments. ‘The four eggs are pale buff, blotched and 
spotted with reddish brown of various shades and violet 
grey. ‘he young and their parents keep in company, 
and as autumn advances small flocks assemble. 
The adult Common Sandpiper has the general colour 
of the upper parts mouse-brown, with a greenish or 
bronze sheen, most of the small feathers having a dark 
central streak ; the wing-coverts, innermost secondaries, 
scapulars, and upper tail-coverts are barred with darker 
brown ; the greater wing-coverts are tipped with white, 
and the white bases to most of the brown quills form 
a wing-bar, very conspicuous during flight; the tail is 
light brown, with a green cast, the three outermost 
feathers on each side being barred with brownish black 
and white; the under parts are mostly white, suffused 
with brown on the sides of the breast, and streaked with 
darker brown on the fore-neck and breast. Bill dark 
brown, paler at the base; tarsi and toes pale olive; 
irides brown. Length 8 inches. ‘The young in first 
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