170 WADING BIRDS. 



on any alarm, utter three or four sharp querulous whistling 

 notes as they mount to fly. In the pastures they familiarly 

 follow, or feed around the cattle, and can generally be best 

 approached from a cart or wagon, for though very wary of 

 man, they have but little apprehension of danger, in the 

 company of domestic animals. In August, the roving fami- 

 lies now approach the vicinity of the sea, resorting to feed 

 and roost in the contiguous dry fields. In the morning, 

 as they fly high in the air, in straggling lines, their short 

 warblincr whistle is sometimes heard high over head, while 

 proceeding inland to feed, and the same note is renewed in 

 the evening, as they pass to their roosts. It is also very 

 probable, that this is usually the time they employ in their 

 migrations to the south, which commence here, early in 

 September, and by the middle of that month, a few strag- 

 glers only are found. 



The length of Bartram's Tatler, is from 12 to 13 inches ; and about 

 21 in alar extent. The bill 1 inch 2 to 4 lines," black above, bright 

 brownish yellow, inclining to orange below, towards the base. Tarsus 

 from 1| to 2 inches, wax-yellow ; soles of the feet lemon-yellow, 

 inner toe free, the web between the other toes short and thick. Iris 

 dusky. — Adult, in summer dress ; upper plumage mostly blackish- 

 brown, edged with tawny-rufous, sometimes almost fading into 

 white. Summit of the head blackish-brown, the centre, in one of 

 the sexes divided by a medial line of pale rufous; scapulars, 

 tertials, and greater wing coverts, more or less obscurely barred with 

 a deeper tint of blackish-brown ; the rufous margins broader, some- 

 times forming angular indentions between the dark bars. Lower 

 part of the back, and most of the tail coverts, pitch-black. Spurious 

 wings, and primaries with their coverts, blackish-brown ; the shaft of 

 the 1st primary white, as well as the whole of the inner web, which 

 is barred and marbled with dusky ; the inner webs of the other quills 

 are also more obscurely barred ; secondaries tipped and spotted with 

 white. Tail graduated, orange-buff, tipt with white ; the outer feath- 

 ers more broadly, sparingly, and distinctly barred with black, the ter- 

 minal bar broad, and deeply indented, the buff replaced by greyish- 



