126 The Zoologist — March, 1866. 



means an easy matter to find a redshank's nest, as, in the first place, 

 as soon as they perceive an intruder on their doranins, they imme- 

 diately commence flying round, uttering loud cries, in the manner 

 before described, and if a dog is present, dashing at it much in the 

 same way as the curlews: they continue this circling almost incessantly 

 until the intruder retires, but seldom settling, and then only for a short 

 time. In the next place, supposing a bird is marked down, even then 

 one part of the marsh is so like another, and a circuit being generally 

 necessary to avoid creeks, &c., a person gets perfectly bewildered in 

 a very short time. I was once so fortunate as to capture a young red- 

 shank that was apparently not many hours old; hearing a low 

 "chirp" some distance ahead, I went forward, but almost immediately 

 heard it again behind my back. I continued walking, first in one 

 direction, then in another, but always with the same result: I had no 

 sooner got close, as I thought, to the spot, than I heard the bird in 

 quite a different direction ; at length, having come to a stand-still in 

 my uncertainty, I happened to cast my eyes on the ground at my feet, 

 and immediately discovered my little ventriloquist perched on the top 

 of the long stalk of a marsh plant. I thought at first that my hearing 

 the chir|) in so many directions was caused by a number of these young 

 birds, but after capturing the above-mentioned, the note entirely 

 ceased. The appearance of the full-grown young redshank before 

 its first moult differs so much from that of the adult bird that it might 

 almost be mistaken for another species. In shape and size it is like 

 the adult, as also in the colour of the upper tail-coverts and transverse 

 bars on the tail, but the general hue of its plumage is dark brown, the 

 margins of the feathers on the back being tipped with buff; the breast 

 and throat are lighter in colour, but spotted also with brown ; the legs 

 are pale flesh-colour. About the end of July redshanks begin to flock, 

 and at the same time become wild and difficult of approach ; their 

 flight when at full speed is amazingly swift, and a large flock of them 

 afford a very pretty sight dashing along a creek, first wheeling in one 

 direction, then in another, uttering their cry incessantly all the 

 while. 



Green Sandpiper. — Appeared on its migration southward on the 

 17th of July ; they soon became tolerably common, but are very wary, 

 generally stationing themselves at a bend of a stream or sheet of water, 

 and whisking round a corner when flushed. They often remind one 

 forcibly of a snipe: the cry uttered almost immediately on taking 

 wing, their subsequent rising high in the air and flying to a great 



