176 



a few lines or spots over the arm, sides of rump, and tail-down black, often mixed with reddish down 

 ( W. Meves, in epist.) . 



The Greenshank is a summer visitant to Europe, and at this season spreads over the whole of the 

 Palsearctic Region, breeding principally in the northern portion. In the autumn it flies to more 

 southern latitudes, and is found in winter throughout the Malay archipelago, extending into 

 Australia, and is also common in South Africa at this period of the year. It is also said to 

 visit South America, but apparently not in such large numbers. 



In Great Britain it is found in considerable profusion during the spring and autumn migra- 

 tions. It breeds in Scotland, but has not yet been known to do so in Ireland. Mr. A. G. More 

 writes as follows : — " Breeds in small numbers in the counties of Perth and Argyle (Mr. R. Gray), 

 Ross (Mr. W. Dunbar), Sutherland (Mr. Selby), Caithness (Mr. W. Dunbar). Macgillivray was 

 the first to discover the nest in the Outer Hebrides, where it has since been found by other 

 observers." The Duke of Argyll has given the accompanying note to Mr. Gould's 'Birds of 

 Great Britain': — "The Greenshank comes to our shores in Argyleshire and on the Clyde rather 

 earlier than the Redshank, but in much smaller numbers. It is often solitary, seldom more than 

 one pah- together. It is very shy, and emits a loud piping note at frequent intervals ; its alarm- 

 note is loud and vociferous. Its habits are extremely more active than those of the Redshank, in its 

 search for food, along the margins of the ebb. I have never seen it, except on the shore of the 

 deep arms of the sea. Its flesh is excellent, far superior to that of the Redshank." 



We are likewise indebted to our friend Mr. J. A. Harvie-Brown for a very interesting 

 account of its breeding in Sutherlandshire, . which will be found detailed below. He writes to 

 us : — " This species is very generally distributed over the county of Sutherland, and extends 

 southward into Rosshire, Invernesshire, West Cromarty, more sparingly into Perthshire and 

 Argyleshire, north-eastward into Caithness, and is also found during the breeding-season in Skye 

 and in the northern half of the Outer Hebrides. In Dumbartonshire and Stirlingshire no nests, 

 that we are aware of, have been found belonging to this species ; but individuals have not unfre- 

 quently been observed during the summer months on the shores of Loch Lomond. In autumn 

 they are found but very sparingly on the shores of the Firth of Forth, and on other parts of the 

 coast." 



Mr. A. W. M. Clark Kennedy has sent us the following from his note-book : — " Although 

 not by any means a common bird in the eastern counties, this species is an unfailing visitor in 

 spring and autumn to most of the large marshes which border the tidal rivers ; and the months 

 of May and September seldom pass Avithout some being shot or seen near Aldborough, in Suffolk, 

 where I have examined several specimens in the flesh, which fishermen had killed while feeding 

 on the mud-flats between Orford and the above-named place. I have many times seen small 

 companies of Green shanks in Thorpe mere, a large fen of some thousand acres about a mile to 

 the northward of Aldborough, and a place where many very scarce birds of the wading tribe have 

 been procured." 



Mr. J. H. Gurney, jun., also writes to us: — "As its occurrence in midwinter seems extremely 

 rare, it may be worth mentioning that my brother has one which was killed in January, and two 

 are stated in the 'Zoologist' (p. 2537) to have been got in January and December — one near 

 Oxford and one in Berkshire." 



