THE GREEN AND WOOD-SANDPIPERS 507 



male is "performing various peculiar evolutions at a considerable 

 height " it utters a succession of notes, " a sort of pairing song," " teeleedl, 

 teeleedl, teeleedl" several times in a high tone. 1 As it seems impossible 

 that this can be the same as Buturlin's "peri, logi" one can only 

 assume it to be the rarer "pe'eku, teeleu" of that observer. Seebohm 

 describes what appears to be another period of the flight, for he 

 makes no allusion to the circling. He says the male sings a 

 monotonous, but by no means unmusical, grasshopper- warbler like 

 song, " til-il-il" beginning somewhat low and slow as the bird is 

 descending in the air with fluttering upraised wings. The song 

 becomes louder and more rapid, and reaches its climax as the 

 bird, with the points of its trembling wings almost meeting over 

 its head, alights on the ground, a rail, or a branch of a tree. 2 

 Hancock describing the birds he found nesting on Prestwick Car 

 says that when disturbed the wood-sandpiper rises to a considerable 

 height, moving rapidly in wide circles, and occasionally rising and 

 descending with extended tremulous wings, and making a noise 

 similar to that produced by the snipe, but shriller. 3 Yet another 

 description of this species in the breeding season. It is said to be 

 unobtrusive in its habits very different to the boisterous and 

 pugnacious green-sandpiper. Early in June it has a very pretty 

 song which it trills out when seated on a tussock of grass or when 

 rising in the air near its nest. 4 



The alarm-note has been rendered by Prof. Patten as " gikk, giff" ' 5 

 and by Seebohm as "tyii, tyii, tyi'i" like that of the redshank but 

 softer. 6 The latter is perhaps hardly correctly described as an alarm- 

 note. It is probably the call-note, which Dresser describes as an 

 exceedingly clear loud whistle, different to that of any other sand- 

 piper. 7 Naumann also says the call-note is distinct from that of all 



1 Dresser, Birds of Europe, viii. p. 148. 



1 Seebohm, British Birds, iii. p. 134. 



* A Catalogue of the Birds of Northumberland and Durham, p. 121. 



4 Wheelwright, Ornithology of Lapland, p. 352. 



6 Aquatic Birds, p. 334. Seebohm, British Birds, iii. p. 134. 



7 Dresser, Birds of Europe, viii. p. 148. 



