i 7 8 
British Birds. 
The Common Redshank. 
spreads along the shores and inland waters of Africa and India, even to the 
Moluccas. At the nest the Redshank is one of the noisiest birds imaginable, whether 
it be on shingly beach or moss-covered broad, or on the shores of a lake in the 
mountain. The birds protest loudly against any intrusion, and will fly round 
and round, occasionally settling with upraised wings and tail on a rock or on the 
bough of a dead tree or stump. The cry is very like a shrill ‘ mew,’ interrupted by 
a constant clatter of ‘ Kitty, Kitty,’ ‘ Kiup,’ till it becomes distracting. In the 
autumn, Redshanks are found either singly or in small parties on the sea-shore, and 
are then equally detestable for the way in which they startle every bird within shot. 
The nest is a depression in the ground, or in a hummock, and is generally well 
concealed by the surrounding grass. The eggs are four in number, pear-shaped, 
and rather large, measuring an inch-and-three-quarters to nearly two inches in length. 
The colour is clay-brown, with blackish-brown spots and blotches. 
This small species, 
THE MARSH- 
GREENSHANK. 
( Totanus 
stagnatilis.) 
Europe, extending 
which is only about 
nine-and-a-half inches 
in length, is an in- 
habitant of Southern 
into Central Asia and 
Eastern Siberia, and wintering in Africa, 
India and Australia. Mr. Walter Roths- 
child shot a bird on Tring Reservoir which 
he believes to have been of this species, 
but the specimen was unfortunately des- 
troyed in a fire, so that the occurrence of the 
species in England requires confirmation. 
The Marsh-Greenshank. 
