KNOT, OR ASH-COLORED SANDPIPER. 125 



Tringa pusilla,) leaves us by the close of September, and 

 departs from the Middle States, towards its remote hybernal 

 retreats, in the course of the month of October. 



The present species, and some others, appear, occasion- 

 ally, to feed partially on vegetable substances, as well as 

 on animals ; as I have found in their stomachs pieces appa- 

 rently of Zostera roots, and flowers of the Marsh Plantain. 



The length of this species varies from 6^ to 7^ inches ! (indeed 

 Wilson gives only 5^ inches to the specimen he happened to meas- 

 ure). — Summer plumage : with the top of the head, base of the neck, 

 scapulars, interscapulars, and lower row of wing coverts, dark 

 brownish-black, bordered with chestnut, and pale yellowish-brown 

 or rufous. Neck dusky-ash, with central dark spots. Lower part of 

 the back, middle tail coverts, and central pair of tail feathers, black, 

 edged with pale brown. Lateral tail coverts white, blotched with 

 black; lateral tail feathers darkish cinereous, faintly tipt with white. 

 Wings dusky black, the primary coverts, posterior primaries, and 

 secondaries tipped and edged with white. A dark line on the lores. 

 Chin and superciliary stripe white, the latter dotted. Middle of the 

 breast, belly, flanks, under tail coverts, inner wing coverts, and 

 thighs pure white ; sides of the breast and lower part of the throat 

 pale rufous-ash, faintly streaked with pale brown. Bill blackish. 

 Legs dark brown. 



KNOT, OR ASH^COLORED SANDPIPER. 



(Tringa cinerea, LnvN. Wilson, vii. p. 36. pi. 57. fig. 2. [winter 

 dress.] T. rufa. Ibid. (Red breasted Sandpiper.) vii. p 43. pi. 57. 

 fig. 5. [summer dress.] T. canuta, islandica, cinerea, aiistralis? 

 ncevia, grisea! Gmel. Phil. Museum, No. 4050, and 4060.) 



Sp. Charact. — Bill straight, scarcely longer than the head; rump 

 white, barred with black; tail even. — Summer plumage black, 

 varied with ferruginous, beneath dusky. Winter dress, pale ash 

 color, beneath white. The young, dark ash, varied with black 

 and white ; beneath white. 



This large and variable species, described under such a 

 variety of names, is again a denizen of both continents, 

 11* 



