BRITISH BIRDS 



flanks barred with greyish-black. In winter the colour is more uniform, the dark 

 markings being then less distinct. 



The habits and nest of this species appear to be unknown. 



THE COMMON SANDPIPER. 

 Totanus hypoleucus (Linnaeus). 

 Plate 67. 



This attractive little wader, also known as the Summer-Snipe, is a common 

 visitor in spring to the British Islands, arriving in April and taking its departure in 

 September. During summer it is found over the whole of Europe and a great part 

 of Asia, while in winter it migrates to Africa, India, and as far south as Tasmania. 



The nest of the Common Sandpiper is usually placed near the water on the 

 banks of some clear running stream, or often, as in the Highlands of Scotland, 

 among the stones and herbage by the side of a loch. It is merely a slight depres- 

 sion, lined with dry grass, rushes, and similar material, in which the four eggs are 

 laid. These in ground-colour are usually creamy-buff, with blotches and spots of 

 purplish-brown and grey. 



The food consists of worms, grubs, and various insects. In summer the clear 

 piping note of the Sandpiper may often be heard as it runs along the gravelly 

 margins of lakes and streams with dainty steps and a graceful vertical swing of the 

 tail. On taking flight, it skims near the surface of the water, gliding at times with- 

 out any movement of the wings, then again proceeding with steady strokes. There 

 is no difference in the colour of the sexes, but in winter the dark markings on the 

 upper parts are less distinct. 



THE SPOTTED SANDPIPER. 

 Totanus macularius (Linnaeus). 

 Plate 67. 



This species is the representative of our Common Sandpiper in America, dis- 

 tinguished, according to Howard Saunders' Manual of British Birds, 2nd ed. p. 606, 

 by having "a// the secondaries broadly barred with ash-brown, while in the 



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