444 



THE NATURE BOOK 



the Green Sandpiper is one of the 

 most shy, being off and away at 

 the shghtest alarm. Here, again, 

 the white rump is a distinguishing 

 feature between two very similar 

 birds, for the common species is 

 not thus conspicuously marked. 

 \'ery rapid in flight is the pecu- 

 liarly musky scented Green Sand- 

 piper, which may be met with in 

 almost any month of the year, 

 especially when and where any 

 cleaning out of marsh ditches has 

 been recently effected on a large 

 scale, for, to it, the resulting mud is 

 very attractive. This bird has never 

 been proved to breed in England, 

 though from the peculiar habit of 

 la3'ing its eggs in the tree-built old 



YOUNG CURLEW. 



shining brightly, although its 

 upper plumage is grey and 

 black ; the explanation of 

 this is that in its rapid 

 aerial twistings the white 

 underparts are frequently dis- 

 played. 



The Green and Common 

 Sandpipers are both of a 

 bronzy green shade as to their 

 upper plumage, which in the 

 former is minutely dotted 

 with white spots. It is, by 

 a couple of inches, the larger 

 bird of the two ; its total 

 length is about 2^ inches short 

 of a foot, and it stands com- 

 paratively higher on the leg 

 than the Common Sandpiper. 

 Both species haunt inland 

 waters, never flock or keep 

 company with other waders, 

 and solitary individuals are 

 most frequently met with. 

 The Common Sandpiper is perhaps the 

 most conflding wader we ha\'e, whilst 



SANDPIPER ON NEST. 



nests of other species 

 escaped observation. 



it may 



have 



