166 WADING BIRDS. 



and plumage bristled up, seemed swelled to twice her usual 

 size. The young crowded together behind her, sensible of 

 their peril, moving backwards and forwards as she advanced 

 or retreated. In this way the contest endured for about ten 

 minutes, when as the strength of our little heroine began 

 to fail, the friendly presence of the humane relater put an 

 end to the unequal and doubtful contest. 



Young and old, previous to their departure, frequent the 

 sea shores, like most of the species, but never associate with 

 other kinds, nor become gregarious, living always in families, 

 till the time of their departure, which usually occurs about 

 the middle of October. While near the shore, they feed 

 on small shrimps, coleoptera, and probably also molusca. 



The length of the Spotted Tatler is from 6 to 7^ inches. Bill nearly 

 an inch long, straight to the tip, which is curved, grooved nearly to 

 the extremity, the point hard and horny, with no appearance of 

 nervous pits, and therefore, but little sensitive; the color to the tip 

 is brownish-yellow, brightest below; the hard extremity black. — 

 Upper plumage, of a glossy brown olive, with greenish reflections. 

 Summit of the head and neck marked with longitudinal dusky spots 

 along the shafts of the feathers; the back, scapulars, and tertiaries 

 undulatingly barred with dark olive-brown, the bars in zigzag on the 

 larger and longer feathers. Quills dusky-brown, the 2 first plain, 

 the succeeding marked each with a large oval white spot on their 

 inner webs; secondaries white on the inner webs for more than 

 half their length, broadly tipt with white, and with some white on 

 part of the outer webs : bastard wing bordered and terminated with 

 white. Rump and rounded tail, plain olive-brown ; the central 

 feathers faintly tipt with dusky, the rest more or less barred with 

 dusky, and more distinctly terminated with white ; the outermost 

 lateral feather barred with black, but lohite only on the outer tceb. 

 Lores dusky. Stripe over the eye and eye-lid white. Below white, 

 tinged with grey at the sides of the neck ; nearly all the feathers 

 ending in a subterminal, roundish, dusky olive spot, (giving the 

 whole bird, with its plain plumage, straight and black tipped yellow 

 bill, no unapt resemblance to a Thrush, and hence the name of Tur- 

 dus aquaticus, given it by Brisson.) Legs rather stout, dull wax 



