790 TOTANUS 



worms. Its mode of breeding is absolutely peculiar, as it 

 places its 4 eggs, in the latter half of May, in deserted nests of 

 Thrushes, Blackbirds, Jays, and other birds, and even those of 

 the Squirrel, almost always in the vicinity of a pond. The eggs 

 vary in ground-colour from delicate greyish sea-green to 

 greenish grey, and are marked with purplish grey shell blotches 

 and dark brown surface spots, which are usually larger and 

 more numerous at the larger end ; in size they measure about 

 1-55 by 1-12. 



1090. SOLITARY SANDPIPER, 

 TOTANUS SOLITARIUS. 



Totanus solitarius (Wilson), Amer. Orn. vii. p. 53, pi. 58, fig. 3 (1813) ; 

 Dresser, ix. p. 373, pi. 714 ; (Sharpe), Cat. B. Br. Mus. xxiv. 

 p. 444; Ridgway, p. 166; Saunders, p. 611; Lilford, v. p. Ill, 

 pi. 48 ; Tot. chloropygius, Vieill. Nouv. Diet. vi. p. 401 (1816). 



ad. (New Brunswick). Differs from T. glareola in having the rump 

 and central tail-coverts and tail-feathers dark greenish brown, the rest of 

 tail-feathers and lateral coverts white, barred with blackish ; under wing- 

 coverts and axillaries white, narrowly barred with greenish brown ; bill 

 dull greenish at base, otherwise blackish ; legs dark greenish "grey ; iris 

 brown. Culmen 1 '35, wing 5*25, tail 2*3, tarsus 1 '28 inch. Sexes alike. 

 In winter the upper parts are greyer, the white spots less distinct, and the 

 fore neck less distinctly streaked. 



Hal. America, north to about 65 N. lat. in summer, and south 

 to Argentina in winter; an accidental straggler to Britain, 

 where three authenticated examples have been obtained. 



In habits this bird resembles T. glareola, and in America 

 frequents damp localities in the forest, and especially alder 

 swamps. Its nest and eggs arenas yet unknown. 



1091. WOOD-SANDPIPER. 

 TOTANUS GLAREOLA. 



Totanus glareola (Gmel.), Syst. Nat. i. p. 677 (1788) ; Naum. viii. 

 p. 78, Taf. 198 ; Hewitson, ii. p. 330, pi. xc. fig. 1 ; Gould, B. of E. 

 iv. pi. 315, fig. 2 ; id. B. of Gt. Brit. iv. pi. 57 ; Dresser, viii. 

 p. 143, pi. 565 ; David and Oust. Ois. Chine, p. 464 ; Seebohm, B. 

 Jap. Emp. p. 324 ; (Sharpe), Cat. B. Br. Mus. xxiv. p. 491 ; Tacz. 

 F. O. Sib. O. p. 874 ; Blanf. F. Brit. Ind. Birds, iv. p. 261 ; 

 Kidgway, p. 166 ; Sauuders, p. 607 ; Lilford, v. p. 109, pi. 47 ; 

 Poynting, p. 203, pi. 43. 



Chevalier sylvain, French; Carregadet, Span.; Piro-piro- 

 loscareccio, Ital. ; Brucli- Wasserlaufer, German ; Boschruiter, 



