478 SCOLOPACIM. 



energy of its gesticulations. The eggs, four in number, are 

 of a rich green ground-colour when fresh, or sometimes of a 

 bright brown. This year they were laid hereabouts at the 

 end of May. The young are probably carried into marshy 

 land as soon as they are hatched ; for there they are whilst 

 they are still very small. I am told that dry mounds rising 

 out of swamps are sometimes chosen as breeding-places. 

 The nests I have described were found quite by good luck, 

 stumbled upon in walking through the forest, where the 

 bird is scattered usually at rather wide intervals ; one may 

 see two or three pairs in the course of a long day's walk. 

 It is so wary that I have never succeeded in watching it to 

 its nest." The eggs, three of which are figured in Mr. 

 Hewitson's work, are larger than those of the Common 

 Eedshank, and measure about 1'85 by 1*25 in. In its habits 

 the Spotted Eedshank resembles its congener, except that, 

 as before observed, it is more partial to fresh water, and is 

 seldom seen by the sea. Its food consists of worms, aquatic 

 insects, small beetles, and minute univalves. 



The figure in the foreground of the representations here 

 given is from an adult bird in its perfect winter plumage, 

 obtained in the London market ; the figure in the background 

 is from a specimen in summer plumage, obtained some 

 years since in the fens of Cambridgeshire. 



The adult bird in its winter plumage has the beak black, 

 except at the base, where it is bright red ; the irides dark 

 brown ; from the nostril to the eye a dusky-grey streak ; 

 above that a white streak as far as the eye ; top of the 

 head, back of the neck, and upper part of the back, ash-grey : 

 lesser wing-coverts ash-grey, margined with white ; greater 

 coverts, the secondaries, and tertials, also ash-grey, with 

 well-defined triangular spots of pure white along the sides of 

 each feather ; wing-primaries greyish-black, without spots ; 

 rump white ; upper tail-coverts barred with dusky-grey and 

 white ; middle tail-feathers plain ash-grey, the outer feathers 

 on each side, like the upper tail-coverts, are barred with 

 dusky-grey and white ; the chin white ; sides and front 

 of the neck white, tinged with ash-colour ; breast, belly, vent, 



