25B 
THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA 
Notes .—Usually in small flocks, arriving in Australia during Sep¬ 
tember or October, departing in March or April. It frequents mud-flats, 
sand-spits, and salt marshes, and is often in the company of other Waders. 
Generally it is extremely timid and wary, and when flushed flies off to a 
more distant locality. Food : aquatic animals of various kinds. 
Nest .— A depression in the grass. 
EQ9 s ' — Four, pale stone colour, covered with very dark red blotches 
and underlying markings of lavender. Breeding-season: May and June 
(northern Europe and northern Asia). 
16. Common Sandpiper Tringa hypoleuca Linne 
hy-po-leuc-a — Gk, hypo, under; Gk, lencos , white. 
Distribution .— Europe and northern Asia, migrating southwards to 
Africa, Australia, and Tasmania. 
Notes . —Also called Summer Snipe. Usually in flocks, arriving in 
Australia during September or October, departing in March or April. It 
frequents the foreshores of inlets, beaches, and the banks of rivers, and 
is a fairly common species. At low tide it resorts to the lin rnvprprl 
17. Sanderling Croccthia alba Vroeg 
r , eg ? ons > migrating southwards 
Nest .—A depression in the ground. 
and blotched with reddish-grey, 
Breeding-season: not recorded 
