182 



BRITISH BIRDS EGGS. 



yond the British Islands its range is very considerable, ex- 

 tending from India to Chili, and from Norway to Southern 

 Africa, and perhaps including the islands of the Pacific. 

 The nest is described as " generally placed at a short dis- 

 tance from the water, among stunted heath or scrubby 

 plants of the bog myrtle, or among coarse grass and rushes. 

 It is placed in a hollow, and is of dry grass and other 

 plants." The eggs are four in number, of a yellowish or 

 pale-greenish colour, blotched or marked, chiefly at the 

 thicker end, with purple or reddish-brown ; they are some- 

 what pear-shaped, tapering greatly towards the point at the 

 smaller end. 



THE COMMON TOTANUS. Totanus hypoleucm. The Com- 

 mon Sandpiper, as this species is likewise termed, is very 

 extensively distributed in foreign countries, and is abundant 

 in Great Britain and Ireland, being a regular summer visi- 

 tant, and frequenting the banks of streams and rivers and 

 the margins of lakes. Its nest is placed at a short distance 

 from the water, sometimes a slight depression in the gravel 

 serving its purpose, and at others some suitable spot among 

 the neighbouring herbage being selected ; a slight nest is 

 formed, and four eggs, very large for the size of the bird, 

 are laid, of a reddish or yellowish white, with spots and 



