197 



TRINGA MARITIMA. THE PURPLE SANDPIPER. 



Tringa maritima. Gra. Syst. Nat. I. 678. 



Tringa maritima. Lath. Ind. Orn. II. 731. 



Purple Sandpiper. Mont. Orn. Diet, and Supplt. 



Becasseau violet. Tringa maritima. Temm. Man. d'Orn. II. 619. 



Tringa striata. Purple Sandpiper. Flem. Brit. Anim. 110. 



Purple or Rock Tringa. Tringa maritima. Selb. Illustr. Brit. Ornith. 



II. 1.50. 

 Tringa maritima. Purple Sandpiper. Jen. Brit. Vert. An. 211. 

 Tringa maritima. Bonap. Comp. List, 49. 



Bill a little longer than the head, and slightly decurved at 

 the end; tail with the middle feathers considerably longer, the 

 three lateral nearly equal ; tarsus ten-twelfths of an inch 

 long, shorter than the middle toe ; bill dusky, orange at the 

 base ; feet ochre-yellow ; scarcely any bare space on the tibia. 

 In winter the upper parts glossy purplish-black, the feathers 

 margined toith light grey ; the head, cheeks, sides, and fore 

 part of the neck light purplish-grey , the sides and lower tail- 

 coverts streaked with the same ; the throat, part of the breast, 

 and abdomen white. In summer the upper parts glossy pur- 

 plish-black, the feathers on the head margined with pale red, 

 on the back with light red and tipped with white, the lower 

 parts white, streaked and spotted with dusky-grey. 



Male. — The Purple Sandpiper is somewhat larger and 

 considerably more robust than the Dunlin, which it very 

 closely resembles in summer, although readily distinguishable 

 on account of its peculiar markings, its shorter tarsus, and its 

 broader claws. In its form it is rather full, the body being- 

 ovate, the neck rather short, the head oblong, compressed, and 

 rounded in front. The bill is slender, very slightly arcuate, 

 compressed, tapering, the tips a little enlarged and blunt; 

 the ridge rounded to near the point, where it is flattened. 



