THE GREENSHANK. 301 



on Mearns moor, within eight miles of Glasgow. These last men- 

 tioned birds had probably been arrested in their migratory flight, 

 as they are frequently seen there again in spring, about the time 

 of their return journey. Last year (1870) I was surprised to see 

 one rise from the neighbourhood of one of the water dams, while 

 I was looking for dunlins' nests; it appeared to be alone, but it 

 persisted in circling round my head, making all the while a chiding 

 outcry, as if its mate had been sitting. A pair of redshanks had 

 their nest on the spot, and one of the birds joined the Greenshank 

 in its clamorous lament at the intrusion. I have also observed 

 the Greenshank in pairs frequenting the river Cart, near Paisley, 

 from the 14th of April till the end of the month. It is therefore 

 possible that Mearns moor, which is not more than four miles 

 from the Cart, may be a breeding station. 



I have the -eggs of this bird from Sutherlandshire and Argyle- 

 shire. A few pairs breed near the Black Mount, in the latter 

 county. There are also four or five other breeding stations in the 

 western counties, occupied by at most eight or ten pairs. In the 

 Inner Hebrides, the Greenshank is not uncommon in Islay and 

 Jura, especially about Loch Indall, and the shores of some fresh 

 water lakes. I have, however, hitherto failed to discover any 

 breeding station on either of these islands. There is one near 

 Sligachan, in Skye, frequented by two or three pairs; while, in 

 the outer group, Lewis and Harris may be said to be the only 

 localities where eggs have of late years been actually taken. 



Three male specimens of this bird were shot by Audubon on 

 Sand Key, in Florida, on 28th May, 1832, and the species has 

 therefore been allowed a place in the avi-fauna of North America. 

 The late Prince Lucien Bonaparte, in the belief that this single 

 specimen, which has been preserved, differed in some particulars 

 from the common European species, named it Glottis Floridanus 

 a name which it now retains in the works of American authors. 

 Professor Baird, who has described Audubon's specimen, states 

 that it appears to be " smaller in all its parts " than any of the 

 numerous specimens from the Old World in the museum of the 

 Philadelphia Academy. At the same time it is but right to say 

 that he acknowledges his hesitation in admitting its specific 

 distinction. Not having seen the bird, of course I cannot judge as 

 to its appearance; but, from the description, minute and accurate 

 as it is, both as to coloration and measurements, I would certainly 



