THE GREEN SANDPIPER. 617 



feathers sometimes edged light burl ; feathers of mantle and 

 scapulars without grey-brown tips and plentifully notched pink- 

 buff ; lower -throat and upper -breast more closely streaked olive- 

 brown ; sides of breast as mantle ; central pair tail-feathers more 

 or less suffused buff ; wing as adult but innermost secondaries and 

 coverts as scapulars ; median and lower lesser-coverts as mantle. 



First winter. — As adult and only to be distinguished by pink- 

 buff notches at sides and tips of innermost median coverts. The 

 juvenile body-feathers, tail, some innermost secondaries and 

 coverts, some median and lesser coverts are moulted Aug. to Dec. 

 First summer. — Distinguished from adult by same characters as in 

 first winter. 



Measurements and structure. — $ wing 136-148 mm., tail 52-61, 

 tarsus 32-34, bill from feathers 33-35 (12 measured). $ wing 142- 

 153, bill 33-36. Primaries : 1st minute, 2nd longest, -3rd 2-5.5 mm. 

 shorter, 4th 7-12 shorter, 5th 14-20 shorter, 6th 24-29 shorter. 

 Longest inner secondary between 4th and 6th primaries. Tail 

 square. Bill short and slender, groove in upper mandible extending 

 more than half length of culmen. Legs and feet as in Wood-Sand- 

 piper. 



Soft parts. — Bill black-brown, dark green at base ; legs and 

 feet olive-green ; iris dull brown. 



Characters. — No subspecies. Sepia axillaries narrowly barred 

 white, white upper tail-coverts and broadly barred tail distinguish 

 species in all plumages. 



Field -characters. — Shyer than Wood -Sandpiper, is seldom 

 noticed until it rises with a sharp " tui tui tui," zig-zags in rapid 

 flight for a few yards, then mounts high and goes clear away. 

 White under -parts, rump and tail-coverts contrasting with green 

 upper-parts make it as strikingly black and wirite as Lapwing. 

 Black under -wing distinguishes it at once from Wood-Sandpiper. 

 Mainly a passage -migrant, a few winter, frequenting, singly as a 

 rule, swamps, brooks, drains, and gutters on salt-marshes. Much 

 attached to certain feeding-grounds, and, shy though it is, may be 

 flushed day after day from same spot. 



Breeding-habits. — Chiefly found breeding in marshy forests, not 

 far from pools or rivers. Nest. — Occasionally on ground, more often 

 on fallen trees, stumps or accumulations of pine-needles or branches 

 but usually in old nests of Fieldfare, Mistle -Thrush, Song-Thrush, 

 Blackbird, Jay, Red-backed Shrike, Pigeon or squirrel. Eggs. — 

 Normally 4, occasionally 3 only, pyriform, pale greenish to warm 

 buff or pale ochreous in ground-colour, rather sparingly spotted 

 with purple-brown and ashv-grey. Average of 82 eggs, 39x27.9. 

 Max. : 42x28and 41. 1x30.3. Min. : 34.6x26 and 34.8x25.5 mm. 

 Breeding -season. — From mid-April through May and June in 

 central Europe, from rnid-May in Scandinavia and as late as July 

 in Siberia. Incubation. — Apparently by female but data lacking. 

 Probably normally single brooded. 



