Family CHARADRIID^. Genus Totanus. 



Subfamily Totaninm. 



GREENSHANK. 



TOTANUS GLOTTIS— (Zz'«««2«). 



Geographical Distribution. — British: Regular visitor on 

 spring and autumn migration, both inland and on the coast, 

 most numerous on the eastern seaboard in England, and in 

 Ireland a few remaining over the winter, although it is not 

 known to breed in that country. Most of the birds that visit us 

 are on their way to or from their breeding grounds in Northern 

 Europe, but a few spread over parts of the north and west of 

 Scotland to spend the summer. Here it breeds sparingly in the 

 Hebrides, and in greater abundance over Inverness, Argyle, 

 Perthshire, Ross, Sutherland, and Caithness, but not apparently 

 in the Orkneys or Shetlands, which is a matter for surprise. 

 Foreign . Northern Palaearctic region ; Ethiopian, Oriental, and 

 Australian regions in winter. Breeds on the tundras of Scandi- 

 navia and Lapland, in Northern Russia and Siberia up to lat. 

 66°, and as far south as lat. 60°, eastwards to the Stanavoi Moun- 

 tains, north of the Sea of Okhotsk. It passes the European and 

 Pacific coasts, including those of Japan, as well as along internal 

 routes on migration, and winters in the basin of the Mediterranean, 

 the coasts and central lakes of Africa as far south as Cape 

 Colony, India, Ceylon, Burma, China, the Malay Archipelago, 

 and Australia. As is the case with so many birds belonging to 

 this family, it is a great wanderer during winter, and stragglers 

 have occurred at that season on Norfolk Island and Mauritius, 

 in Florida, Buenos Ayres, and in Chih. 



Allied Forms. — Totanus fuscus, treated of in the preceding 



