354 



TOTANUS 



Specific 

 characters. 



Geographi- 

 cal distribu- 

 tion. 



The Redshank is the only Totanus which combines the two characters of lower back 

 white and secondaries nearly white. 



The Redshank is one of the commonest and best known of all the Waders found in 

 the British Islands. It is a resident, frequenting almost all parts of the coasts in autumn 

 and winter, and retiring more or less inland in summer, at which season it is generally 

 distributed, though somewhat local. It breeds in all suitable districts in England, especially 

 in the low-lying eastern counties; and in Scotland it is even more numerous, extending to 

 the Hebrides, the Orkneys, and Shetland. In the latter islands it is, however, only 

 sparingly met with in the breeding-season. It is a common bird in Ireland, frequenting 

 the mud- flats on the coast at low tide, but retiring inland to breed. 



The geographical distribution of the Redshank is somewhat peculiar. It breeds in all 

 suitable localities throughout the whole of Europe as far west as Iceland and the Faroes, 

 but east of the White Sea its range gradually drops down to lat. 58° on the Ural Mountains. 

 In the basin of the Mediterranean it appears to be a resident both in South Europe and in 

 North Africa ; but to the rest of Africa it is a winter visitor to the Canary Islands and the 

 entire south coast of the continent. In Siberia its breeding-range only extends as far north 

 as lat. 55°, and appears to be confined to the mountains of Southern Siberia and Turkestan. 

 It breeds on the Caucasus, and probably on some of the Persian highlands. It passes 

 through Mongolia on migration ; and winters in India, Ceylon, Burma, China, and the 

 islands of the Malay Archipelago, and has recently been recorded from Japan. 



TOTANUS GUTTIFERUS. 



jEEjVJIV'S SANBPIPJEB. 



Diagnosis. Totanus dorso postico axillaribusque albis : digito medio basi utrinque palmatis 



Variations. Qnly half a dozen examples of this very rare bird are known. 



Synonymy. Totanus guttifer, Nordmann, Erman's Reise urn die Erde, p. 17 (1835). 



Xenus guttifer {Nordm.), Lichtenstein, Norn. Av. Mus. Berol. p. 91 (1854). 

 Terekia guttifera {Nordm.), Bonap. Compt. Rend, xliii. p. 597 (1856). 

 Totanus haughtoni, Armstrong, Stray Featfiers, iv. p. 344 (1876). 

 Pseudototanus haughtoiii {Armstr.), Hume, Stray Feathers, vi. p. 488 (1878). 



