188 
SKETCHES OF EUROPEAN ORNITHOLOGY. 
and Swisserland, but is apparently very local. u Temminck informs us that the' 
nests found in Italy were placed on the ground among the Grass, in hilly situa¬ 
tions ; were of a spherical shape, formed externally of dead leaves, with a lateral 
opening ; and that the eggs are of a globular form, four or five in number, and 
white minutely dotted with reddish.” The tints of the female are less clear than 
those of the male. 
Common Sanderling, Arenaria calidris ,—Sanderling variable, Fr. —Gemeine 
Sandlaiifer, G.—Two birds are very fairly figured, one in Summer the other in 
Winter plumage, and natural size. Frequents the sea-shores of almost every 
part of the globe. Breeds in the Northern regions, after which it returns to 
more temperate climes. The nidification has not been ascertained. Feeds on 
insects, especially Coleoptera , “ in the capture of which it displays the greatest 
agility. Its flight is rapid and vigorous ; hence it is enabled to perform consider¬ 
able migrations in a comparatively short space of time.” The changes of plumage 
which this bird undergoes are so great, that, observes Mr. Gould, “ had two 
examples been presented to us for the first time, one in the plumage of Summer 
and the other in that of Winter, we should undoubtedly have pronounced them 
to have been distinct species.” The Winter plumage is very considerably more 
frosty than that of Summer, which latter is warm and glowing on the back, each 
feather being margined with reddish brown. 
Tree Pipit, Anthus arboreus ,—Pipit des-buissons, Fr. —Baum Pieper, G.—- 
An adult male is figured, but it is somewhat too highly coloured, and not 
otherwise entirely unexceptionable. It is a Summer visitant with us. Its 
general habits are well known to most of our ornithological readers; we shall,, 
therefore, content ourselves with observing, as we have elsewhere* done (see our 
Vol. II., p. 253), and what we are not aware of being noticed by other writers, 
namely, that, when perched, the Tree Pipit makes a constant but slow wagging 
of its tail up and down, pointing out, in our opinion, a further relationship of the 
more arboreal Pipits to the Wagtails. 
Buddy Shieldrake, Tadorna rutila ,—Canard Kasarka, Fr.~ —Anatra foras- 
tiero, It. —This is one of the most splendid and ornamental of Mr. Gould’s plates 
which we have yet seen; but we are not sufficiently conversant with the species 
in its natural state to be enabled to add whether it is amongst the most 
characteristic. The figure represents an adult male, two-thirds of the natural 
size. Our author thinks this species would more properly form a new genus, 
* One of our correspondents, in reference to the paragraph above referred to in The Naturalist ». 
observes that he had long noticed the habit in caged Individuals; but this is somewhat a lazy 
method of studying Ornithology, and may moreover in many cases prove absolutely mischievous. 
On inquiring of our correspondent if he had remarked the circumstance in the fields, he very 
prudently omitted to make any reply ! 
