THE SPECIES. 85 



Calidrls. Plate xxviii. SCOLOPACIDM. 



324. arenaria, 8 in. Sanderltng. Under parts white, e.\'cept the 



breast, which, hke the head and neck, is of pale 

 chestnut spotted with dark brown. 



The Sanderling — Dimensions, Gr ; Eggs, Im — visits us twice a year, in spring and autumn, 

 on its way to and from its breeding haunts in the far north. In the spring its upper parts 

 are rufous and black ; in the autumn they are grey. The young are buffish white above and 

 below. 



Caprimulgus. Plate x. CAPRIMULGIDM. 



141, europ<sus, 10 in. NiGHTjAE. Ashy grey, pencilled and spotted; 



small whitish spots on wings and tail. 



H3- agypiius, 11 in. Egyptian Nightjar. No whitish spots on upper 

 surface of wings or tail. 



142. riificollis, 13 in. Red-necked Nightjar. Rufous collar ; large 



whitish spots on wings and tail. 



The Nightjar— Dimensions, It ; Eggs, Ht — arrives here in the middle of May and leaves 

 us in September ; but being a bird of the night he is more often heard than seen. He is the 

 latest of our summer migrants, and the only night bird among them. His three first primaries 

 have a white spot near the end, and his two outer tail feathers have broad white tips. His 

 palate is faintly transparent; and he has the curious pectinate middle claw, which, according 

 to some people, he uses to hold on by as he sits sideways on a branch, and according to others 

 uses as a small -tooth-comb for the special discomfort of the species of Nirmus with which he 

 is infested. He begins to sing exactly at sundown, the note being a "churrrrr," and an 

 occasional *' wh-ip, wh-ip," which may, or may not, be due to the rapid movement of his 

 wings. His flight is soft and gliding, with his tail well out, so as to show off its white spotb. 

 He feeds entirely upon insects ; he does not suck goats ; he is not a Hawk ; neither is he an 

 Owl; but he generally falls a prey to some owl of a gamekeeper. The female has the spots on 

 the wing and tail pale buff. She makes no nest, but lays her eggs on the ground under a 

 fern or furze bubh. The eggs are two in number, and have both ends equally rounded. 



An Egyptian Nightjar — Dimensions, Jn ; Eggs, Ht — was shot by the usual gamekeeper, 

 in 1883, in Nottinghamshire, and so made into a British bird. That is the only appearance 

 of the species in these islands. 



A Red-necked Nightjar— Dimensions, Kt ; Eggs, Ht — was shot at Killingworth, of 

 railway fame, in 1856 ; the species had never been recognised here before, nor has it been 

 heard of here since, 



Carduelis. Plate vii. FRINGILLINM (PasseridEe). 



88. spinus, 4^ in. Siskin. Blackish forehead ; plumage yellowish 



green above ; chin black ; throat and cheeks 

 yellow ; sides of neck yellowish. 



87 elegans, 5 in. Goldfinch. Scarlet forehead ; plumage ruddy , 



brown above ; upper throat and cheeks scarlet, the ( 

 scarlet mask with a broad black edging; wings s 

 black, barred with yellow and tipped with white ; ' 

 tail black, tipped with white. 



The Siskin — Dimensions, An ; Eggs, Ap— occasionally breeds here ; it visits us in late and 

 early winter, on its way to and from its northerly haunts within the limit of the pine forests, 

 and it is imported, in cages, in large numbers, from Germany'. Its tail is blackish, though all 

 but the two middle feathers have yellow bases ; its lower breast shades into white. Its flight 

 is undulating and irregular, and its note is "tit-tit-tit-tit," with a sharp call not unlike its 

 name. The female has a whitish throat, and no black on the head and chm, which are 

 marked with brown, and she is not so large as the male The nest is generally in a fir tree, 

 in a fork, about 20 feet from the ground, and it is made from grass-stalks, heather twigs, and 

 pine needles, lined with rootlets, moss, and rabbits* fur — a very similar nest to that of the 

 greenfiinch ; it contains from four to six eggs. 



The Goldfinch — Dimensions, Bf ; Eggs, Ar — is a resident, partially migrating about the 

 country, and reinforced by migrants from the Continent, but yearly becoming rarer, owing 

 to the efl'orts of the bird-catcher. He is the " Thistlefinch," and is not often found where 

 thistles are not close handy. His red mask distinguishes him from every other British bird. 

 His flight is light and buoyant, but somewhat drooping and jerky, with a good deal of 

 wheeling up and down as he travels. His song is loud, sweet, and canary-like and his call 

 \>i a sharp glit." The female has a slenderer bill, no yellow on the breast, less red on the 



