BAY-BIRDS. 295 



iil^on by persons who wish to make a show of largo 

 birds, I am always entirely satisfied with a good bag 

 of well-conditioned dowitchers. 



''^Specific Character. — Spring plumage, upper 

 parts brownish-black, variegated with light brown- 

 ish-red ; lower parts dull orange-red, abdomen paler, 

 spotted and barred with black ; rump white ; the 

 tail feathers and the upper and lower tail-coverts, 

 alternately barred with white and black. In autumn 

 the upper parts are brownish-grey ; the lower parts 

 greyish-white ; the tail feathers and the upper 

 and lower tail-coverts the same as in spring. 

 Adult with the bill towards the end black, lighter 

 at the base ; top of the head, back of the neck, 

 scapulars, tertials, and fore part of the back, 

 blackish-brown, variegated with ferruginous ; second- 

 aries and wing-coverts clove-brown, the latter edged 

 with wdiite, the former tipped with the same; 

 hind part of back white ; the rump marked with 

 roundish spots of blackish-brown ; upper tail-coverts 

 dull white, barred with black ; tail feathers crossed 

 with numerous black bands, their tips white ; loral 

 band dusky, the space between which and the medial 

 band on the fore part of the head, greyish-white, 

 tinged with ferruginous, and slightly touched with 

 dusky ; sides of the head spotted with dark-brown ; 

 lower parts dull orange-red, the abdomen lighter ; 

 the neck and foro part of breast spotted with dusky; 

 the sides of the body with numerous bars of the 

 same color; legs and feet dull yellowish-green. 

 Young with the lower parts paler. Winter dress, 



