Fig. 125.—Redshank (Totanus stagnatui, Temm.).
In France seven species of Sandpipers are known, varying in size from that of the Sparrow to that of the Thrush. They are as follows:—the Brown Sandpiper, called also the Harlequin Sandpiper (Totanus fuscus), the Greenshank (Totanus glottis), the Redshank (Totanus caledris), [Fig. 125]; the Pond Sandpiper; the Wood Sandpiper (Totanus glareola), the Green Sandpiper (Totanus achropus), the Common Sandpiper (Totanus hypoleucos). The last kind is the smallest, and also the most prized.
Fig. 126.—Turnstone (Cinclus interpres, G. R. Gray).
The Turnstones (Strepsila) inhabit the sea-coasts of both continents. A single known species alone has been traced over most parts of Europe, the Cape of Good Hope, and various parts of Asia, Australia, and North America. It owes its name to the peculiar method it adopts to find its food. This habit consists of lifting up the pebbles and shingles which lie spread over its domain, the sea-shore, in order to discover the worms, crustacea, and insects concealed underneath. For this purpose it is provided with a bill of medium length, tapering, pointed, and hard, which it uses adroitly as a lever. It lives a solitary life, and does not even congregate with its own species for the purpose of migration, but travels alone. Only in the North, whither it repairs to breed, does it manifest any approach to sociability. The female lays three or four rather large eggs of an ashy-grey colour; these are deposited in the bottom of a hole dug in the sand on the shore. The young ones are very precocious, for even on leaving the shell they run about with their parents to seek their sustenance.
Fig. 127—Duel between Ruffs (Machetes pugnax, Temm.).
The only species of this genus, the Ringed Turnstone, Strepsila interpres ([Fig. 126]), is a bird of passage in France and England. Its flesh is not without relish, but by no means equal to that of the Plover.
The Ruff (Machetes pugnax, Temminck) commends itself to the attention of the observer by the sudden metamorphosis which seems to revolutionise its entire nature, in the early days of May, at the first dawning of that charming month when all nature appears to expand and array itself in every kind of splendour, the better to render homage to the Creator. At this season the plumage of the Ruff, which has hitherto been grave and almost sombre, undergoes a most brilliant transformation. It would strike the observer as if the agitation of love had the effect of totally changing its plumage from one altogether devoid of display to the most brilliant costume imaginable, for its neck is now wreathed with a glittering collar, which extends by degrees over shoulders and breast. On the top of its head, to the right and left, two graceful plumes come forth, which vastly improve its looks, and contribute in no small degree to the impressiveness of its demeanour. Brilliant hues of yellow, white, and black, arranged in a hundred ever-varying shades, combine to improve their plumage, making them most attractive to look at.