108 BIRDS OF THE WORLD 



of the neck and wings are nearly black, relieved by 

 pale grey edgings to the feathers ; the lower parts are 

 flecked with ashy brown. In winter the upp'er parts 

 are greyer and the under parts white. See Plate 31, 

 Fig. 180. 



The eggs of the Greenshank are a warm stone col- 

 our, blotched with purplish-grey and spots of brown. 

 The nest, such as it is, is often placed at a distance 

 from water and sometimes on dry ground amid scat- 

 tered pine trees. 



In our country this bird is represented by the God- 

 wits, or Marlins, found on the Pacific coast and also 

 in the interior of the Western States, but seldom on 

 the Atlantic coast. In colouring and in general char- 

 acters they resemble the species figured. 



In the Dunlin the contrast between the summer and 

 winter plumages is very striking. In winter the 

 upper parts are ash-coloured, the under parts white; 

 but towards the end of March the new livery begins to 

 make its appearance. When complete the upper parts 

 are a rich golden-brown, streaked and blotched with 

 black, except the wings, which remain grey, while the 

 breast becomes jet black. The females are somewhat 

 larger and have longer beaks than the males, but in the 

 length of beak there is great variation in both sexes. 



The Dunlin, like the Snipe and Woodcock and 

 many other long and slender-beaked waders, has the 

 power of curving the tip of the upper mandible up- 

 wards for a considerable distance, enabling it to seize 

 its prey when the beak is thrust downward into the 

 mud of their feeding-grounds. See Plate 32, Fig. 

 185. 



