THE COMMON SANDPIPER. 399 



Genus TRINGOIDES, Eonap. 



740. TRINGOIDES HYPOLEUCUS. 

 THE COMMON SANDPIPER. 



Tringa hypoleucos, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 250. Actitis hypoleucus, Jerd. B. Lid. 

 ii. p. 099 ; Bl. B. Burm. p. 155 ; Anders. Yunnan Exped. p. 681 . Tringoides 

 hypoleucus, Hume, Nests and Eggs, p. 588; id. S. F. ii. p. 299, iii. p. 188 j 

 Si i U-ad. Ucc. Bom. p. 326 ; Armstrong, S. F. iv. p. 344 ; David et Oust. Ois. 

 Chine, p. 467 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi. p. 463 ; Hume, S. F. viii. p. 113 ; Legge, 

 Birds Ceylon, y. 867 ; Oates, S. F. x. p. 241. Totanus hypoleucus, Dresser, 

 Birds Eur. viii. p. 127, pi. ; Bingham, S. F. ix. p. 197. 



Description. Male and female. General colour of the upper plumage 

 ashy brown glossed with green ; the crown, hind neck and upper back 

 streaked with dark brown ; the wing-coverts, lower back, rump, upper tail- 

 coverts, scapulars and tertiaries with wavy cross bands of brown and dark 

 shaft-streaks, the feathers of the coverts more or less narrowly margined 

 with grey; primaries dark brown, with a patch of white on the inner 

 webs ; secondaries white at the base and at the tip, brown elsewhere ; cen- 

 tral tail-feathers like the back, the others tipped with white, the outermost 

 pair broadly barred with white, the outer web nearly all white ; a broad 

 but indistinct pale supercilium from the bill to the nape ; chin and throat 

 pure white ; the breast and the sides of the head and neck white streaked 

 with brown ; remainder of the lower plumage pure white. 



There is little or no seasonal change of plumage. In summer the upper 

 parts are darker and more glossy, and the breast and sides of the neck are 

 more marked with brown. 



Bill greyish brown, darker at tip and with a greenish tinge at base ; iris 

 brown ; legs pale green ; claws horn-colour. 



Length 8 inches, tail 2 '3, wing 4' 2, tarsus 1, bill from gape I'l. The 

 female is of the same size. 



The Common Sandpiper is found abundantly over the whole Province 

 from August to April or May. 



It is found throughout the continents of Europe, Africa and Asia, ex- 

 tending through the archipelago to Australia and some of the islands of 

 the Pacific Ocean. It does not retire far north to breed, many of these 

 birds remaining in temperate climates throughout the summer. 



This bird is the most abundant of all the smaller Waders, frequenting 

 the banks of rivers, marshes, lakes and pools of water. It has been found 

 breeding in Cashmeer in May and June. 



