Shore-bird Shooting 415 



ing on trees and bushes, if there are such in the 

 vicinity of the nest. The note is varied and both 

 birds become very noisy, resenting with loud cries 

 any approach near the nest. The young are 

 hatched in July and rapidly attain the age of 

 looking out for themselves, for by the end of the 

 month the old birds leave them and gather in the 

 first migratory flocks. 



COMMON REDSHANK 

 (To/anus totanus) 



Male and female in breeding plumage — Upper parts, grayish brown ; 

 scapulars and interscapulars, spotted with black and notched 

 with buff; lesser wing-coverts, edged with light gray; lower 

 back, rump, and upper tail-coverts, white, the last barred with 

 black; crown, dark brown, feathers edged with buff; lores, 

 blackish ; primaries, blackish brown, the inner feathers tipped 

 with whitish, which is barred with brown ; outer secondaries, 

 white ; inner secondaries, brown, mottled with white ; tail, 

 white, barred with blackish, the central feathers chiefly brownish ; 

 sides of head, neck, and entire under parts, white, spotted and 

 barred with dusky, except in centre of abdomen ; bill, black, red 

 near base ; feet, bright orange-red ; iris, brown. 



Male and female in winter — Similar, but upper parts, including 

 wing-coverts and the inner secondaries, dark grayish brown ; 

 dark markings on face and lower parts, fewer ; fore neck, chest, 

 and sides of breast, uniform ashy brown ; bill, dark brown ; 

 feet, yellow. 



Young — Similar to winter plumage of adults, but more spotted above, 

 with reddish brown at the edges of the feathers, and white or 

 fulvous markings on wing-coverts and inner secondaries ; fore 

 neck and breast, irregularly spotted with brown. 



Downy young — Above, reddish, striped longitudinally with black 

 through eye, centre of crown, nape, hind neck, and centre of 

 back ; centre of crown, rufous ; sides of head and lines on back, 

 buff. 



