WOOD SANDPIPEK. 
159 
chorus of many voices, and serving to keep together the 
assembled travellers, until fatigue compels them to alight for 
rest in some convenient spot. The male bird has, during 
the breeding season, another call-note, which sounds like 
‘teatril, teatril.’ ’ 
The nest, which is extremely difficult to find, owing to 
the nature of the ground where it is put, is generally placed 
in a hollow, at but a little distance from the water, among 
heath, or plants of the bog myrtle, rushes, or grass. It is 
made of grass or other vegetable materials. 
The eggs are three or four, pointed in shape, and of a 
pale greenish white, spotted and speckled, particularly at the 
larger end, with dark reddish brown. The hen bird incubates 
them, and her partner watches by, and rises up, and hovers 
about any intruder, as previously noticed. 
Male; weight, two ounces and a quarter; length, not quite 
nine inches; bill, slender and black, except the base of the 
lower mandible, which is pale greenish brown: from the base 
of the upper one a dusky patch proceeds to the eye—over it 
is a white streak. Iris, dusky brown; eyelids, white. Head 
on the crown, neck on the back, and nape, greenish dusky 
brown, each feather margined with dull buff white, some in 
a triangular, and others in a more elongated shape, giving 
the former parts a cinereous hue. In winter the brown on 
the head more prevails in the way of spots, and the other 
markings are narrower and more grey. Chin, white; throat 
and breast above, dull greyish white, streaked with greyish 
brown waved lines; below, white, and marked on the sides 
with a few transverse dusky bars; in summer black and more 
extensive. Back above, dusky, with hardly perceptible tints 
of green and purple, marked with small white and greyish 
white spots on each side of the webs near the tip; in summer 
the dark colour is blacker, and nearly hides the lighter; 
below the back is white. 
The wings have the first quill feather the longest, when 
closed they reach to the end of the tail. The axillary plume 
is white, with a few cross-bars of dusky; greater wing coverts, 
greenish dusky black, margined on the edge of each feather, 
and tipped with buff white; more inclining to white, some in 
a triangular, others in a more lengthened manner; in summer 
the former colour is darker black and more predominant; 
lesser wing coverts, plain dusky black. Primaries, greenish 
dusky black, the first one with a white shaft, and most of 
