274 HANDBOOK OF BRITISH INLAND BIRDS 
parts of the country, but it has never been known 
to breed in Britain. The birds which we see in 
April or May are bound far northward towards 
the Arctic Circle. It is only a trifle larger than 
the Common Sandpiper, and closely resembles it, 
though it is darker on the back. But the markings 
of the tail feathers make it fairly easy to distinguish, 
especially when it is flying away from the eye ; 
there is a conspicuous white patch at the base of 
the tail, and this is followed by conspicuous black 
and white bars extending all across it, instead of the 
much less conspicuous ones, on the outside only, 
which the Common Sandpiper shows. It is called the 
Green Sandpiper from the colour of its legs, and 
the Latin title has the same meaning ; but this 
means of recognition is of but little use for outdoor 
observation. 
REDSHANK. 
{Totanus calidris.) 
Pool Snipe, Red-legged Sandpiper, Yelper, Took. 
— The Redshank breeds in decreasing numbers in 
many of the larger tracts of marsh throughout 
the kingdom, though it is best known as a shore 
bird in winter. A number of pairs often breed 
in fairly close neighbourhood. It is a considerably 
larger bird than the Sandpipers, nearly as large as 
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