THE GREEN-LEGGED TATTLERS. 289 



moves around on its feet, presenting head and tail alternately 

 to first one point of the compass and then to another. It is 

 usually silent during this performance, its importance and 

 solemnity doubtless precluding any such thing as idle remarks. 

 So long as it remains upon the shore, these depressions and 

 elevations of alternate ends occur frequently, and sometimes 

 the bird stops even when in chase of some elusive insect to 

 repeat this mark of its distinguished consideration for its 

 observer/' 



Nest. "The nest, lightly built of straws and grasses, is 

 placed in open spots, either along the borders of streams or 

 ponds, or in fields among the stubble." 



Eggs. Four in number, the ground-colour being generally 

 stone-colour or pale clay, and sometimes olive, witb blackish- 

 brown or reddish-chocolate over-lying spots and blotches, the 

 small spots being equally distributed over the whole surface, 

 while the blotches are more often clustered round the larger 

 end, where they are sometimes confluent, the under-lying 

 markings pale grey. Axis, 1-2-1-4; (Ham., 0-85-1*0. 



THE GREEN-LEGGED TATTLERS. GENUS HELODROMAS. 

 Helodromas, Kaup, Natiirl. Syst. p. 144 (1829). 



Type, H. ochropus (Linn.). 



The genus Helodromas contains two species, one belonging 

 to the Old World and one to America. In structure the genus 

 closely resembles the genus Tetanus > with which it has usually 

 been associated, but the tarsus is much shorter, and is scarcely 

 longer than the middle toe and claw, whereas in Tetanus it is 

 much longer. Helodromas has a moderately long bill, not ex- 

 ceeding the length of the tail, the tarsus longer than the middle 

 toe and claw, and the outer toe is connected to the middle 

 one by a perceptible web at the base, the inner toe having 

 scarcely any broad web and being cleft almost to the base. 



I. THE GREEN-LEGGED TATTLER. HELODROMAS OCHROPUS. 



Tringa ocropus. Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 250 (1766). 

 Totanus ochropus, Macgill. Brit. B. iv. p. 342 (1852); Dresser, 

 B. Eur. viii. p. 135, pi. 564 (1875); Saunders, ed. Yarrell's 



II U 



