162 SANDPIPER. 



fides of the neck white : beneath the eye a ftreak of black : fore' 

 part of the neck, as far as the bread, black ; hind part white and 

 brown : the back and wings green ; the firft glofled with purple, 

 the laft with blue : quills black ; the four firft have a white fpot 

 at the tip : the bafe half of the fecondaries white : breaft and 

 belly white : upper tail coverts and vent pale rufous : tail white, 

 for halfway next the bafe; the end half black; the outer feathers 

 almoft wholly white: legs brownifh red. 



Male and female alike, but the laft is rather fmaller. 

 Place and This fpecies is pretty common in England, where it remains 



the whole year. They lay their eggs on the ground, fcraping 

 together a little dried grafs for a bed; they are four in number, 

 of a dirty olive, fpotted with black. The hen fits about three 

 weeks : the young run within two or three days after they are 

 hatched. The female has great addrefs in decoying the curious 

 impertinent from the neft or young, ufing many ftratagems of 

 deceit; flying over the head of any one with great noife : is faid 

 to be molt clamorous when fartheft from the neft; and will even 

 feign to run along the ground, as if lame, in order to decoy. 

 Towards winder both young and old collect in flocks of four or 

 five hundred, or more, and are feen on our heaths ; and in fome 

 places are taken in nets, for the ufe of the table *. Their eggs are 

 alfo thought a delicacy, and fetch a good price -f. 



Thefe are alfo common in moft parts of Europe, as far as 



* In the provinces of Brie and Champaign, in France, are feen in vaft flocks 

 ofthoufands, and decoyed into the nets by the playing of a mirror, with the 

 addition of fome fluffed birds, with here and there a live one intermixed. 

 Hi ft. Jes Qif. 



t Three (hillings per dozen. — Br. ZooL 



6 Iceland > 



