MORE WADERS 85 



because they had never seen these things. Even 

 the common Sky-lark has, in the most grave man- 

 ner, been denied the power of perching ; and, worst 

 of all, the Sandpipers have not been credited with 

 the powers of swimming and diving. As one of 

 my acquaintances said, when he brought one to me 

 warm from the water, to identify it, " Oh, Jerusa- 

 lem ! Can't they just ! " 



The Wood Sandpiper has bred in this country ; 

 but that is a record of the past, and we have only 

 described it in the Appendix for the purpose of 

 identification, if met with. 



The nest of the Common Sandpiper is a slight 

 one, placed under cover of some tuft of heather or 

 wiry grass, not far from the edge of the water, or in 

 a slight hollow by the side of a moss-covered stone. 

 The eggs, four in number, are placed with the small 

 ends together ; they are very large for the size of 

 the bird, glossy cream-coloured or reddish-white in 

 ground-colour, covered with dots and spots of purple 

 brown and purplish-grey. 



This lively, neatly-formed bird arrives in England 

 early in April. The angler looks on it with pleasure, 

 for the bird frequents the reaches of rivers, and the 

 margins of trout-streams, where pools and pebbly 

 shallows alternate with mixed sand and pebbles along 

 the margin of the stream, bordered with trees and 

 meadow-land. There you will see the Sandpiper, 

 Weet-weet, Fiddler, Willy wicket, or Water- Junket. 



Where you see the bird nimbly tripping, you 

 will find fish in the stream or river, as the case 



