294 BIRDS OF THE WEST OF SCOTLAND. 



any naturalist had seen the really authentic eggs of this bird until 

 I discovered its breeding haunts some years since. In Sweden, 

 the Green Sandpiper never makes a nest upon the ground like the 

 rest of its congeners, but invariably lays four pyriform large eggs 

 of a very light colour, spotted all over sparingly towards the small 

 end (at the top the spots are much larger, darker, and crowded 

 together), with two shades of purple, and amber brown in an old 

 nest of a squirrel, jay, or crow. I once, however, saw them in a 

 new common thrush's nest in the forest, often far from the water, 

 always in a fir tree, sometimes forty feet from the ground." 



A very interesting paper by Professor Newton on the nidification 

 of this species will be found in the proceedings of the Zoological 

 Society, 8th December, 1863. 



THE WOOD SANDPIPER. 



TOT ANUS GLAREOLA. 



THE only specimen of this Sandpiper which I have seen on the 

 west coast is one in my own collection; it was shot on the Ren- 

 frewshire banks of the Clyde, opposite Bowling, in the autumn 

 of 1853. 



In the eastern counties it has occurred several times. The late 

 Mr Sinclair, surgeon, Wick, had one in his collection, which was 

 procured in Caithness many years ago, and I have been informed 

 by Mr Angus that a specimen was shot near Aberdeen, on 1st 

 September, 1866. I have had an opportunity of seeing this bird, 

 and also another Aberdeenshire specimen, which was shown to 

 me when in Aberdeen, in May, 1869, by Mr G-. Sim, bird-stuffer, 

 King Street. Mr Sim stated that it was shot by himself, on 8th 

 July, 1867. 



Mr A. G. More has recorded in the Ibis, that a nest of the 

 Wood Sandpiper was taken near Elgin, in Morayshire, the eggs 

 'of which are in the possession of Mr F. Bond. In addition to 

 these examples, I may mention that I have recently been informed 

 by Dr J. A. Smith, of Edinburgh, that a specimen was shot near 

 the village of Heriot, Mid-Lothian, on 14th August, 1856, by 

 Richard Bell, Esq., who sent him the bird for exhibition, at a 

 meeting of the Royal Physical Society. The stomach of this bird, 



