THE green-legged TATTLERS. 
289 
moves around on its feet, presenting head and tail alternately 
to first one point of the compass and then to another. It is 
usually silent during this performance, its importance and 
solemnity doubtless precluding any such thing as idle remar ^ 
So long as it remains upon the shore, these depressions and 
elevations of alternate ends occur frequently, and sometimes 
the bird stops even when in chase of some elusive insect to 
repeat this mark of its distinguished consideration tor i s 
observer.” 
Ifest.— “The nest, lightly built of straws and grasses, is 
placed in open spots, either along the borders of streams or 
ponds, or in fields among the stubble.” 
j;ggg_ — Four in number, the ground-colour being generally 
stone-colour or pale clay, and sometimes olive, with blackish- 
brown or reddish-chocolate over lying spots and blotches, the 
small spots being equally distributed over the whole surface, 
while the blotches are more often clustered round the larger 
end, where they are sometimes confluent, the under-lying 
markings pale grey. Axis, i-2-i‘4; diam., o’8s-i‘o. 
THE GREEN-I-EGGED TATTLERS. GENUS HELODROMAS. 
Helodromasy Kaup, Natiirl. Syst. p. i 44 (1829). 
Type, H. ochropus (Linn.). 
The genus Helodromas contains two species, one belonging 
to the Old World and one to America. In structure the genus 
closely resembles the genus Totanus, with which it has usual y 
been associated, but the tarsus is much shorter, and is scarcely 
longer than the middle toe and claw, whereas m Totanus it is 
much longer. Helodromas has a moderately long bill, not ex- 
ceeding the length of the tail, the tarsus longer than the midd e 
toe and claw, and the outer toe is connected to the middle 
one by a perceptible web at the base, the inner toe having 
scarcely any broad web and being cleft almost to the base. 
I. THE GREEN-LEGGED TATTLER. HELODROMAS OCHROPUS. 
Tringa ocropus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 250 (1766). 
Totanus ochropus, Macgill. Brit. B iv. p. 342 (1852); ^arrelTs 
B, Eur. viii. p. i 35 . P^- 5 ^> 4 (i 875 )j Saunders, ed.Yarrells 
II 
