338 CHARADRIID.E 



Flight. The flight is remarkably swift and powerful. 

 The strong angular shoulders are seen to great advantage as 

 the bird, with a twisting motion, cuts or glances through 

 the air, alternately ascending and descending. The white 

 feathers of the rump are very noticeable in flight. 



Food. This consists of various kinds of insects, worms, 

 and fresh-water shell-fish. Mr. R. Patterson found fresh- 

 water snails and shells in the stomach of an adult female. 



Like that of the preceding species, the flesh has an 

 objectionable musky smell. 



Voice. The alarm-note resembles in tone that of the 

 Common Sandpiper, but is fuller, often doubled, and more 

 song-like. It may be syllabled tul-tul-tin-tui-tui. Mr. 

 Ussher compares the voice, heard at a distance, to the 

 sound produced when a person blows on a piped key. 



Nest. The Green Sandpiper breeds in quiet unfrequented 

 districts in the vicinity of marshes, pools, or rivers. It is 

 still more arboreal in its habits than the preceding species, 

 only a small proportion of birds nesting on the ground ; the 

 disused nests of the Thrush, the Blackbird, the Ring-dove, 

 or the Squirrel's drey, may be appropriated for breeding- 

 purposes. The eggs, four in number, are light greenish-grey 

 in colour, spotted with purple-brown. 



It has been inferred that as the Green Sandpiper occurs 

 not only singly, but in pairs in some districts in England 

 during the entire breeding-season, a few birds may breed in 

 our Isles ; proof, however, is still wanting. 



Geographical distribution. Abroad, this species breeds 

 in Northern and Central Europe, as far south as Germany, 

 but in the more western countries it occurs chiefly on 

 migration. Eastward it is found nesting over Northern and 

 Temperate Asia, while in winter it visits India and other 

 parts of Southern Asia, as well as the adjoining Islands. 

 Its lines of migration along the African Continent extend to 

 Cape Colony on the east side, though not much further than 

 Central Africa on the west side. 



DESCRIPTIVE CHARACTERS. 



PLUMAGE. Adult male nuptial. -- Top of head and 

 hind-neck, dark greyish-brown ; back, scapulars, and 

 wings, glossy greenish -brown, speckled with white ; rump 

 and upper tail-coverts, chiefly white, the latter con- 

 spicuous when the bird flies ; primaries, blackish, shaft of 



