34 WILD-FOWL AND SEA-FOWL OF GREAT BRITAIN 



parts of the plumage are greyish-brown, the feathers 

 having red edges ; the fore-neck greyish-brown, a 

 double band of black and white on the lower part of 

 it, the sides and fore-parts of the breast red, with a 

 patch of black behind. The belly and lower tail 

 coverts are buffish-white, tail greyish-brown, dark 

 brown towards the end. The length of the bird 

 from bill to end of tail is ten inches. 



In winter plumage the upper part of the head is 

 dark brown, margined with reddish-white, the upper 

 parts greenish-brown, the feathers edged with pale 

 red ; forehead and cheeks vv^hitish with dusky 

 streaks ; fore-neck grey-brown, a band of white at 

 its lower part ; the breast, reddish-brown. 



THE COMMON RING DOTTEREL. 



{/Egialitis hiaiicida.) 



Male. — The bill is black at the end, orange at 

 the base ; the forehead is marked with two bands, a 

 black and a white. A dark brown band runs under 

 the eye ; a ring of white, including the throat, is 

 succeeded by a broader ring of brownish-black. 

 The top of the head, the back, and the wings are 

 greyish-brown. The quills are dark greyish-brown, 

 of a deeper tint towards the end ; a bar of white 

 crosses the wing ; throat, breast, sides, and belly 

 are pure white ; legs and feet orange. The bird's 

 length from bill to end of tail is from eight to eight 

 and a half inches. 



The female is similar in plumage to the male. 



