THE WOODCOCK. 



3^3 



or five in number, of a greenish-grey hue, speckled with small brown 

 spots. In the autumn they frequent the sea-shore. Their size nearly 

 equals that of the largest of Sandpipers. 



The Knots (Tringa) have a bill as long as the head ; the toes di- 

 vided, the back toe short ; the wings pointed ; plump round body. 

 They frequent the sea-shore and salt marshes, and, except by acci- 

 dent, never venture far inland. They are natives of the Arctic Polar 

 Circle, and visit our coasts in the spring and autumn. They lay 

 their eggs, four or five in number, in their northern retreats. 



The Dunlin {Tringa cindus) and the Stint {Tringa Temminckii) 



Fig 12 1. — The Common Woodcock. 



are species closely allied to the Sandpipers, differing but slightly 

 in their habits and physical characteristics. In small flocks they 

 visit all the coasts of Europe. Even an abundance of food does 

 not suffice to keep them in the same locality ; for motion seems the 

 law of their existence. 



The Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola, Fig. 121) has a very long, 

 straight, and slender bill ; flattened head ; and the tarsi short. They 

 live in the woods,, and do not frequent the sea-shore or river-banks. 

 From the snipes they differ in having the body fuller, the tibiae 

 feathered at the joint, the tarsi shorter, the wings broader, and the 

 bill firmer. They are also larger in size. 



The Woodcock inhabits during the summer the lofty wooded 

 mountain-ranges of Central and Northern Europe. Driven by the 



