WOOD SANDPIPER. 537 



M. Nilsson says the Wood Sandpiper is found occasion- 

 ally in Sweden, inhabiting swampy woods during summer ; 

 and there is no doubt that this bird breeds every season as 

 far north as the Arctic circle, both in Norway and Lapland. 

 The food consists of worms and insects ; and Mr. Hoy told 

 me he had seen it perch on the upper twigs of a bush, which 

 appears to be the habit of the Redshank and some others of 

 the same genus. 



The Wood Sandpiper is found in some of the provinces of 

 Germany, but only a few of these birds are seen in Holland 

 or France, and then in woody marshes. It is seen in Pro- 

 vence, at Genoa, and in Italy. Dr. Calvert gave me a spe- 

 cimen which he obtained in Malta. Mr. Selby mentions 

 having seen specimens from the Cape of Good Hope ; and 

 Dr. Andrew Smith also brought specimens from South Africa. 

 In the extensive collection of Sir William Jardine, Bart. I 

 saw skins of this bird which had been received from India, 

 and Colonel Sykes and Major Franklin also brought speci- 

 mens from different parts of India, The Totanus affinis of 

 Dr. Horsfield, included among the birds of Java, is con- 

 sidered to be our Wood Sandpiper ; and Mr. Gould men- 

 tions having seen skins of this bird from Chili and the Is- 

 lands of the Pacific. 



This bird is a little smaller than the Green Sandpiper ; 

 the beak greenish black, except at the base of the lower man- 

 dible which is pale brown ; the irides dusky brown ; from the 

 base of the upper mandible to the eye a dusky patch ; over 

 that and over the ear-coverts a white streak ; the top of the 

 head, and back of the neck, wing-coverts, and tertials, green- 

 ish brown, each feather Avith buiFy white spots on the margin, 

 some of which are triangular in shape, others more elongated ; 

 primaries uniform greenish black ; upper tail-coverts white ; 

 tail-feathers with six or more narrow transverse white bars, on 

 a ground colour of greenish black ; chin white ; sides of the 



