GREENSHANK. 621 



these birds may be seen in many parts of the islands, they 

 are yet very rare, a pair being to be met with only at an 

 interval of several miles. In other parts of Scotland they 

 are seen chiefly in autumn, but are of rare occurrence. 

 Mr. Selby, when in Sutherlandshire, in June 1834, says of 

 this bird ; " We detected this species breeding in various 

 parts of the country, generally in some swampy marsh, or 

 by the margin of some of its numerous lochs. It is very 

 wild and wary, except when it has tender young, at which 

 time, when first disturbed, it sometimes approaches pretty 

 near, making a rapid stoop like the Redshank at the head 

 of the intruder. If fired at and missed, which is frequently 

 the case even by a good marksman, as the stoop is made 

 with remarkable rapidity, it seldom, at least for that day, 

 ventures again within range. A pair which had their nest 

 in a marsh near Tongue, after having been once fired at, 

 could not again be approached ; but we obtained one of the 

 young, apparently about a fortnight old, by means of a 

 water dog. Another pair were shot near Scourie, by the 

 margin of a small loch, where, from their violent outcries 

 and alarm, they evidently had their nest or young, though 

 we were unable to find either." The Greenshank was 

 observed by Mr. Hewitson and his friends when in Norway, 

 and, to their great surprise, was seen more than once seated 

 above their heads on the top of a tall tree. Muller and M. 

 Nilsson include it as a summer visiter to Denmark and 

 Sweden; and from the state of the plumage of several 

 specimens in the collection of Richard Dann, Esq., obtained 

 in the northern part of Scandinavia, there is no doubt that 

 this species breeds every season as far north as the Arctic 

 circle, in Lapland. Their note sounds like, chio, cJiio. 



They feed on small fish, worms, insects, besides crusta- 

 ceous and molluscous animals. 



