Birds. 7487 



Bittern, Ardea stellaris. 



Situation. On the ground in marshy places, always near the 

 water's edge, amongst dense masses and clusters of reeds and flags. 



Materials. A iew sticks, with abundance of dead reeds, flag-leaves 

 and Carices. 



Eggs, 4, 5. Pale greenish brown. 



Curlew, Numenius arquata. 



Situation. On the ground, generally sheltered by heath, ling, or 

 clumps of Carex or rush, in a cavity scraped out by the parent. 



Materials. Dried heather, rushes or Carices. 



Eggs, 4, the points meeting in the centre, pale olive-green, blotched 

 with brown of two shades. The young, which run as soon as hatched, 

 are covered with down, and do not possess the long curved beak of 

 the parents. 



Whimbrel, Numenius phceopus. 



Situation. On the ground in exposed heathy districts, on the 

 Grampians, in Scotland, in the Orkney Islands, Shetland Islands, &c. 



Materials. Dried heather and grass. 



Eggs, 4. Dark olive-green, blotched with dark uraber-brown. 



Redshank, Totanus calidris. 



Situation. On the summit of a tussock of grass or Carex, or on 

 the ground in moist meadows. 



Materials. Fine dried grass, in small quantities. 



Eggs, 4. " Egg pale yellowish straw-colour, the dark spots often 

 forming a zone at the larger end." — Mr. Douhleday. 



Common Sandpiper, Totanus hypoleucos. 



Situation. " It breeds upon the banks of rivers or lakes, taking 

 care to make its nest beyond the reach of the usual floods ; and fre- 

 quently, should a corn field approach the edge of the water, it will 

 retire within it. The immediate site of the nest is generally under a 

 projecting tuft of grass or rush, where it scrapes rather a deep hole in 

 the ground." — Mr. Selhy. 



Materials. The deep hole mentioned by Mr. Selby is lined with 

 fine dried grass and leaves. 



Eggs, 4. " The eggs are four in number, and not five, as stated by 

 some authors ; they are of a cream-yellow colour, with numerous spots 

 of dark brown upon the surface, and others of a lighter hue appearing 

 as it were underneath the outer shell." — Mr. Selby. 



This elegant little bird is called the snipe and summer snipe, and 

 is the species to which all the stories of snipes settling on rails, gates, 



