Green Sandpiper. 419 



when it reaches our island in its migrations, but proceeds at 

 once to the rivers and streams of the interior. I have met with 

 it in great abundance in Egypt in winter, and I have seen it in 

 summer in its breeding haunts in Norway, and have occasionally 

 met with it in the creeks of the Wash on the coast of Norfolk. 

 When disturbed, it will hurry away with a shrill whistle, flying 

 low, and skimming over the surface of the water, and generally 

 following accurately all the bends and angles of the stream. We 

 have the excellent authority of Dr. Kruper in Pomerania, and 

 that of Herr Badeker and Mr. Wainwright in Norway, that this 

 bird, contrary to expectation, will occasionally, if not generally, lay 

 its eggs in the old nests of fieldfares or other tree-building birds.* 

 This, as well as the Common Sandpiper, and some other members 

 of the same family, is frequently dubbed the ' Summer Snipe.' 

 Its scientific name, ochropus, signifies ' with pale yellow feet/ 

 from to^/009, ' pale yellow/ and TTOU?, ' a foot '; but this is singularly 

 in opposition to the fact, for the feet are very dark gray or 

 nearly black, with a green tinge. Some modern ornithologists 

 remove it from the genus Totanus and call it Helodromas, which 

 signifies ' Marsh Runner/ and is appropriate enough. It is also 

 called the ' Whistling Sandpiper/ from its shrill note, said by the 

 Rev. R. Lubbock, in his 'Fauna of Norfolk/ to be probably the 

 loudest note for its size of any of our fen birds. In France it is 

 Chevalier cul-blanc, 'White-tailed Horseman;' in Germany, 

 PunJctierte Strandldufer ; in Italy, Culbianco ; in Sweden, 

 Grd-bent Sndppa. 



154. WOOD SANDPIPER (Totanus glareola). 



This is but an occasional straggler to the British Isles, so that 

 its occurrence in Wiltshire was hardly to be expected; and, 

 indeed, I have but one instance of its being taken within the 

 borders of our county, and that was at the hands of Mr. W. 

 Macey, of Lavington, on January 13th, 1879, as I am informed by 

 Mr. Grant. It is somewhat smaller than the Green Sandpiper, 



* See Canon Tristram in Ibis for 1860, p. 169, and Mr. Simpson in same 

 vol., p. 390. 



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