CAPE CURLEW, OR SANDPIPER. 105 



The Long Billed Sandpiper is about 8^ inches long ; by about lo.J 

 inches in alar stretch. Bill black, an inch and a half long, and 

 bent. Winter jilumage of the adults. — The face, line over the eyes, 

 throat, upper tail coverts, vent, and all the lower parts pure white. 

 A brown line between the bill and eye. Top of the head, back, 

 scapulars, and wing coverts, of a cinereous brown, with small touches 

 of a deeper color along the shafts. Nape striped longitudinally with 

 brown, and bordered with whitish ; the fore part of the neck and 

 breast the same, but paler. Tail grey, edged with white, the outer 

 feathers white within. Iris brown. Feet and legs pale green, brown 

 or blackish-grey vvhen dry. 



In the young, before the first moult, the colors are nearly as in the 

 winter plumage of the adults, but the feathers, of the middle of the 

 back, the scapulars, and wing coverts, are of a blackish ash color, all 

 fringed and terminated by a large band of yellowish-vv'hite. No 

 distinct spots on the breast, which is faintly clouded with yellowish, 

 white, and pale brown. The bill is already long and feebly arched ; 

 and the feet brov/n. — JWimeruus pygm.(Bus,^ECH'srTA-s . 



Phi mage of summer and the nuptial season. The face, line over 

 the eye, and throat white, dotted with brown. Summit of the head 

 black, the feathers with rufous borders. Nape rufous, with small 

 longitudinal touches of black. Throat, breast, vent and abdomen, 

 of a reddish-brown, often sprinkled with small spots of brown, or 

 at times varied with some white feathers. Upper and lower tail 

 coverts white, transversely lined with black and rufous. Back, 

 scapulars, and large wing coverts, deep black, upon the borders of 

 these feathers are a row of angular bright rufous spots, most of them 

 tipt with pale ash color. Tail of a blackish ash, edged with white. 



Obs. — Individuals differ in size according to local circumstances; 

 and in the female the bill is always longer than in the male. 



