Herr Badeker's and Dr. Brewer's Oological Works. 405 
Falcon " ? And we suspect, though we will not take on ourselves 
to assert the fact, that there are similar instances to be found 
among the French synonyms. 
The information given in Mr. Badeker's work respecting the 
nidification of the Green Sandpiper will most likely astonish the 
minds of British Ornithologists, though they may be already 
prepared for something extraordinary in the economy of a bird 
whose comings and goings are certainly not well understood. 
Those gentlemen who have lately tried to elucidate the mystery 
will be at least surprised to learn that they should have searched 
for the eggs of this species not only in the localities usually fre¬ 
quented by other birds its nearest allies, but as “ the fir-trees are 
a dwelling for the Stork/' so are they also, it would seem, occa¬ 
sionally for the Green Sandpiper! Hear our authors 
“ The nest is sometimes on the ground in a depression, or on 
a little hillock or the stump of a tree. The four eggs lie in a 
sort of nest of twigs ( Genist ), dry-grass, or fir-tree-needles. 
Often, however, also an old nest of Turdus musicus or T. visci- 
vorus will be used; indeed Forester Hintz once found the eggs 
in a nest of Columba turtur, eighteen feet from the ground." 
This sounds odd to our ears, but the original account, 
which appeared, we believe, in f Naumannia/ is so circum¬ 
stantial that we hardly know whether what seems to us the 
antecedent improbability of such a thing justifies us in doubting 
the statement. In our ignorance of the frank-spoken Forester's 
capabilities of rightly judging the evidence of his own senses, 
and giving him all the credit due to a man whose veracity has 
only been impeached by the character of his own testimony, 
which is certainly contrary to the experience of most people, we 
are compelled to look upon the question as a thorough contest 
of opposite improbabilities, and to confess that it would be a 
relief to us if his statement were confirmed by some other reli¬ 
able witness. 
There is one reflection soothing to our national vanity, with 
which we close Herr Badeker's portfolio of plates and letter- 
press. This is, that though we do not pretend to know what 
gems “ of purest ray serene " the dark unfathomed drawers of 
German egg-cabinets may contain, we are disposed to question 
