JO 



I'HE AMMALS OF ARCTIC ASIA 



thousands in the autumn and spring on all the shores of the North Sea, swarming 

 on the beach as the tide turns, and eagerly following the receding waves. Feeding 

 on molluscs, insects, and crustaceans, this species may be distinguished from the 

 black-tailed godwit by the brown-barred feathers of the tail and axillaries, and 

 the brown-spotted back, of which the lower part is whitish. 



spotted An allied species inhabiting the Arctic zone from Norway to 



Redshank, southern Siberia, and visiting in the Mediterranean area, or even 



still farther south, is the spotted or dusky redshank (Tota.ius fusctis). This bird 



nests in tip- highest north, beyond the Arctic Circle, whence it migrates south in 



_ ist. in which month, or September, it may sometimes be seen in flocks of six to 



twenty on the shores. During their spring migration in April and May these birds 



i appear in solitary inland places. One of the largest of the sandpipers, this 



species is about a foo( long, and may be recognised by the white lower half of the 



« S 



^c 



M III I- STINT. 



rod the brownish bars ou the white secondaries. The beak is almost black, 

 wuh the lower mandible red ai the base, and the legs are red with black claws. 



The (i,lls - wh ich breed in the far north beyond the limits of 

 tree-growth, are small birds frequenting the sea-shore, where they 



■'' f or f ' "" ""■ -""'- Sociable in disposition, they breed in colonies and 



tteron m large flocks which generally migrate under the leadership of a 



^"je other species. The little stint (Tringa mvnuta) selects as its dwelling- 



bl< * ' r in her ^ge ( with quiet nooks and smooth water. But seldom 



"'VV" 1 "^ ° f ' '' " preferS 8ma11 bays with muddy soil, or inland 



; J: ^ *°" fche 8ea " " breeds i* the north from Scandinavia to the 



"insula but in largest numbers in northern Asia beyond the Urals. 



migrates - far as Cape Colony and Ceylon, and occurs in almost 



V : UiVy .;: ] Eur °P« «* — tern Asia. A quiet, brisk, confiding bird. 



, '"'"''- ^me Prom its grasshopper-like call of "stint" and having a 



