

GREEN SANDPIPER. 127 



On the American continent it is represented by a near ally, T. solitarius, 

 which, as it is said to have occurred more than once in our islands, will 

 be treated of in this volume. 



The Green Sandpiper is an early migrant, arriving at its breeding- 

 grounds in Pomerania before the middle of April, and having eggs during 

 the latter part of that month, or during the first half of May. Further 

 north it is, of course, much later ; I did not see it on the Arctic circle, 

 in the valley of the Yenesay, until the 15th of June, and found a nest con- 

 taining one egg, about thirty miles further north, on the 6th of July. In 

 many of its habits it resembles the Common Sandpiper, and still more 

 its American representative, the Solitary Sandpiper. It is not a shore- 

 bird ; during the breeding-season it chooses for its residence a swamp 

 surrounded by forest, and on migration it frequents the shores of rivers 

 rather than the sea-coast. In South Siberia I found it common in August, 

 both on the banks of the Obb and the Yenesay, slowly migrating up the 

 stream. The Green Sandpiper is one of the least gregarious of its family. 

 It is rarely seen in flocks ; singly or in pairs it performs its long journeys ; 

 and at its winter- quarters in India and elsewhere it is described as a very 

 solitary bird, rarely associating with others of its kind or with allied 

 species. 



Like most short-legged Sandpipers, this bird is much less wary than 

 its long-legged relations ; it is a very easy bird to stalk, but seldom allows 

 of a near approach where there is no cover. On the wing it can fly fast 

 enough, but on the ground it walks like a Totanus, rather than runs like 

 a Tringa. Its note is very soft and musical, not nearly so loud as that 

 of the Redshank, and may be represented by the syllables tye-tye-tye, 

 which, when the bird is alarmed, becomes a loud excited tyuk-tyuk-tyuk. 

 These notes are no doubt modulated into a musical trill as the male 

 performs his amatory excursions in the air during the pairing-season, but 

 I have not had the good fortune to hear the love-song of the Green Sand- 

 piper or to find it described. 



So far as is known, this species is entirely insectivorous, but probably 

 no form of insect life is rejected by it. 



The most remarkable fact connected with the history of the Green 

 Sandpiper is the singular site which it chooses for the incubation of its 

 eggs. So far as is known, it is the only Sandpiper which does not lay its 

 eggs on the ground, in a hollow, more or less slightly lined with dead 

 grass or lichen. The Green Sandpiper lays its eggs in a tree, but it is 



mistake would be at once detected) is accidentally attached to the wrong; bird. I have 

 frequently purchased skins of rare birds from Mr. Whitely with impossible localities 

 written on the labels ; indeed it would be almost a miracle if mistakes never occurred in 

 the labelling of the piles of skins which are continually coming into hia possession. 



