THE REDSHANK 203 



little creature, easily recognised by its long, bright, orange- 

 coloured legs, and is very like a Sandpiper in its movements. 

 Like most coast birds it is very wary, and you must be con- 

 tent to watch it tripping over the mud and sand at a safe 

 distance. Every little wave that breaks upon the shore in 

 its vicinity is closely watched, and the sand is probed here 

 and there with its long beak. It is an active little creature, 

 incessantly in motion when the tide is ebbing and flowing ; 

 but sometimes at high water it may be seen standing on the 

 narrow banks of mud waiting for the strand to become 

 exposed again. The Eedshank becomes particularly lively at 

 dusk, and much of its food must be obtained by moonlight. 

 Numbers of these birds are caught in the nets placed to catch 

 the different kinds of wild-fowl that wander up and down the 

 coast and over the shallow waters. Its food in winter is 

 principally composed of sand worms, marine insects, and the 

 inmates of various small shells ; but in summer it lives on 

 insects and larvae, and in some districts will even eat bil- 

 berries. 



At the first sign of spring the Redshanks quit the coasts 

 and visit their breeding-places on the higher ground. This 

 may not be far away from their winter quarters on the fens 

 and broads of the low-lying counties, or on the moors above 

 the sandy coasts. Very often the birds visit the distant 

 mountain lakes and flat stretches of bog amongst the hills, 

 miles and miles away from the sea. Here, like the Lapwing 

 and the Golden Plover, it is ever on the alert, and the 

 moment you set foot on the moor the wary Redshanks rise 

 into the air, rapidly uttering their loud double-note. Should 

 the eggs be laid, the birds become more trustful, and sometimes 

 allow you to approach them as they run anxiously about the 

 moor. They are conspicuous objects when perched on the 

 top of a tuft of cotton grass or rushes, and look very pretty 

 as they trip round the margin of the pools, or even run along 



