A HISTORY OF 
same birds or not that arrived the autumn 
previously. It has occurred here probably 
during every month of the year, including 
even June, although, curiously, it is a species 
which has never yet been known to nest 
within the British Islands. Whenever I have 
been at Newnham during the first week in 
August I have invariably met with this species. 
180. Redshank. Totanus calidris (Linn.) 
This bird passes over the county somewhat 
regularly, though probably in small numbers, 
whilst upon its migratory flights. An occa- 
sional bird or a pair sometimes break their 
journey and remain a day or so with us dur- 
ing the spring or autumn, and a few have 
occurred in the winter. Not infrequently 
they are flushed from ditches and brooks re- 
mote from the river. In all probability it 
was formerly known as a nesting species in 
Bedfordshire, for Mr. A. Covingtonremarks that 
sportsmen that have known the county from 
the early part of the past century have spoken 
of the redshank as at one time nesting regu- 
larly in various of our marshy meadows. At 
Newnham farm in 1896, if not a year or so 
previously, a small colony of redshanks, some 
two or three pairs in all, located themselves, 
and one nest at least was robbed of the eggs ; 
but young were evidently reared during that 
year. In 1897 Mr. Covington sent me par- 
ticulars of a clutch of four eggs which he had 
seen, which had been taken on 21 April. 
On the day following he observed five red- 
shanks together at Longholm ; four additional 
clutches of eggs were also found during that 
season. In the same year, besides the pairs 
nesting on the Newnham farm, one or pos- 
sibly two pairs probably nested on a field 
known as part of Fenlake Marsh, where they 
were frequently flushed, and on 20 August 
1897 three were seen together at Newnham. 
In 1898 two or three pairs continued nesting 
at Newnham, and a young one in the down 
was found and liberated again by Mr. A. F. 
Crossman. On 11 May 1899 when I visited 
the farm there appeared to be two pairs 
there, and the same day I was fortunate 
enough to flush a redshank off Fenlake 
Marsh and find her nest, which contained 
four eggs. On 21 May I again visited 
Newnham and saw four birds. Since 1900, 
when the site of this lake of sewage had 
again passed under cultivation, I have been 
unable to hear of any redshanks even visiting 
their former haunts. 
181. Spotted Redshank. 
(Linn.) 
A rare visitor. 
Totanus 
fuscus 
Mr. J. King kindly pre- 
BEDFORDSHIRE 
sented a specimen to me which was obtained 
by him at Langford 17 September 1856. 
Mr. T. Cane once had a dusky redshank 
brought to him about 1870 from ‘ The Bogs,’ 
which are now drained. 
182. Greenshank. Totanus canescens (J. F. 
Gmelin) 
So long as there are sufficiently attractive 
feeding haunts, the greenshank may be re- 
garded as a regular visitor to us during its 
migratory movements, particularly in the 
autumn, At the Newnham farm in recent 
years, when the large extent of sewage water 
was left exposed upon the land, this bird 
occurred annually. In other parts of the 
county it is occasionally reported from time 
to time, being usually flushed from ponds 
and ditches and other isolated waters. In 
the Zoolgist one is mentioned by Mr. C. M. 
Prior, shot in September 1878 as it rose from 
a ditch at Goldington. One in the writer’s 
possession was killed at Stanford about 1880. 
Two, presumably of this species, were seen 
at Newnham by Mr. A. F. Crossman in 
September 1893, and in August 1894 I heard 
from Mr. E. F. Harrison of several being 
there in the company of dunlins and some 
ruffs. T'wo'specimens were shown to me 
by Mr. H. Nicolls killed at Newnham in 
1895. On 23 May 1897 I saw at some 
distance what was evidently a greenshank, 
and on 21 May 1898 Mr. Crossman observed 
a single bird also in the same locality. Mr. 
A. Covington says that upwards of a dozen 
local birds have passed through his hands, 
which were in every instance killed in the 
month of August. The first he can call to 
mind was one killed from a pair that rose 
from a pond at Putnoe in August 1868, and 
the most recent, one of two seen, that was 
killed at Turvey in August 1896. 
183. Bar-tailed Godwit. 
(Linn.) 
An uncommon visitor. Two were shot 
at Goldington on separate occasions during 
the winter 1866-7, and purchased by Mr. A. 
Covington, who also had another specimen 
from Ampthill in the beautiful red plumage 
pass through his hands in May 1887. In 
the Field, 1870, one is recorded killed on 
21 May of that year near Ampthill. One in 
full breeding plumage, in my possession, was 
obtained, near Stanford about 1877 ; another I 
have seen in the collection of Mr. G. Pestell, 
which I understand was killed at Newnham, 
and Mr. W. Addington has one which was 
shot at Wyboston in 1870. 
Limosa lapponica 
132 
