142 OtDEMIA NIGRA. 



far behind ; the tarsus very short, compressed, Avith small 

 scutella in front, a partial series above the outer toe, the rest 

 reticulated with small angular scales. The hind toe is small, 

 slender, with a pretty large membrane, connected at the base 

 with the marginal membrane of the inner toe, which is also 

 pretty large, and formed into two lobes. The anterior toes 

 are nearly double the length of the tarsus, the inner much 

 shorter than the third and fourth, which are nearly equal ; 

 the outer toe with a thick margin. The claws small, arcuate, 

 compressed, that of the first toe very small and curved, of the 

 middle toe largest, with a dilated inner edge. 



The plumage is full, dense, soft, slightly glossed ; the 

 feathers of the head and neck very small, oblong, velvety ; 

 those of the body ovato-oblong, rounded at the end. The 

 wings narrow, pointed, rather short; the primaries strong, 

 pointed, the first longest, with the inner web cut out to a 

 great extent. The tail very short, graduated, acuminate, of 

 sixteen pointed feathers. 



The bill is black, but on the upper mandible there is an 

 orange-yellow patch above, including the nostrils ; the feet 

 brownish-black, the membranes of a deeper tint. The plum- 

 age is deep black, tinged above with green, below with brown. 



Length to end of tail 19^ inches ; extent of wings S3 ; 

 bill along the ridge 2 ; wing from flexure 9^ ; tarsus 2 ; hind 

 toe -^, its claw ^ ; third toe 2\^, its claw -j%. 



Female in Winter. — The female has the bill dusky; the 

 feet greenish-brown ; the interdigital membranes dusky. The 

 plumage of the upper parts is sooty-brow^n ; the sides of the 

 head and neck paler ; the lower part of the neck, the breast, 

 and abdomen, greyish-brown. 



Length to end of tail 18 inches ; bill l\% ; wing from 

 flexure 9 ; tarsus l\% ; third toe and claws 2^. 



Habits. — This species arrives on our coasts after the 

 middle of autumn, and is to be seen here and there, often in 

 considerable flocks, along the whole eastern side of Britain, 

 from Shetland and Orkney, where it is not uncommon, to its 

 southern extremity. It frequents the sandy shores and shell- 



