GREEN SANDPIPER. 213 



GRA LLA TORES. SCOLOPA CIDJE. 



PLATE CLXXX. 



GREEN SANDPIPER. 



TOTANUS OCHROPUS. 



The Green Sandpiper visits this country in spring and 

 autumn, but is not very common. Some instances have been 

 noticed by ornithologists of its breeding in Britain, but this 

 is very rare and uncertain. The geographical distribution of 

 this Sandpiper extends over the temperate zones of the four 

 quarters of the globe : in Europe it does not appear further 

 north than the central parts of Sweden ; and towards the 

 south it reaches Italy and Greece, but is nowhere plentiful. 

 In April and May the Green Sandpiper migrates northwards 

 for the purposes of breeding ; and by the end of July it 

 begins to move back again to the south, from which period 

 the autumn migration lasts till the beginning of September. 

 Specimens have been seen and obtained after that time, 

 which is, however, owing to extraordinary circumstances of 

 very mild weather or late broods. 



The Green Sandpiper journeys mostly alone, or in pairs. 

 The greatest numbers that are seen congregated together, 

 or flying in flocks, are six or seven, and these are gene- 

 rally young birds ; adult birds are more solitary, and 

 never seen in companies. Its migration is performed during 

 the night, from dusk till sunrise. During the day it frequents 

 the gravelly and moist banks of rivers, lakes, and canals, but 

 very rarely the sea-side ; and when disturbed it flics invariably 



