REDSHANK AND GREENSHANK 517 



Lincolnshire, a redshank flew down to the ground four or five yards 

 away, and began picking about in an excited way, but did not seem 

 to be feeding. Then it spread its tail, elevated its wings above its 

 back, and swayed violently from side to side. In this manner it 

 progressed a short distance, and then fell on its side "as if dead." 

 Its wings fluttered while its body remained still. Arising, it wheeled 

 round several times, and again settled and repeated the performance. 

 Calling incessantly, it then walked to a spot where dry seaweed and 

 "the usual sea ware" thrown up by the tide littered the sand, and 

 gradually sat down. Presently a young bird which, unseen, had been 

 crouching behind a stone, ran up to the redshank who brooded it. 1 



The birds of a nesting colony will join forces to pursue and mob 

 a dog ; sweeping low down over the ground, they will partly lure, 

 partly drive him away. The greenshank is said by Wheelwright to be 

 very bold when it has young ; he never saw any attempt to lure his 

 dog away, but the birds " attacked him courageously and drove him 

 away." 2 



The greenshank is at all times less sociable than the redshank, 

 the nests being generally a considerable distance apart. Its breeding- 

 grounds are on moorlands, " generally on a dry hillock amongst stones 

 and lichen, or burnt heather ground." 3 The nest is in a scanty tuft 

 of grass or among lumps of stone, and is sparingly lined with dry wiry 

 grass, bits of moss and lichen, and dry leaves. In Northern Europe 

 the species has a decided partiality for slightly wooded country, 

 especially scattered pine trees. It was found nesting in such places 

 by Herr Ludwig Holtz in Gotland, 4 and by Wheelwright in Lapland. 5 

 Nests found by Mr. Meves on Kyrro consisted of " lumps of reindeer 

 and other moss mixed with leaves of willow and stagberry bushes." 6 

 In its habits at the nest the greenshank resembles the redshank, and 

 its cries, including the breeding-notes of the male, are also similar, 



1 Field, 1881, vol. Iviii. p. M9. * Wheelwright, Ornithology in Lapland, p. 352. 



3 Fauna of Sutherland, Caithness, and IT. Cromarty, pp. 223-4 



4 Dresser, Birds of Europe, viii. p. 182. 



5 Ornithology in Lapland, p. 351. Dresser, op. cit. 



VOL. III. 3X 



