292 BULLETIN 142, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



clearly defined, as in the sandpipers, but are soft and blended. The 

 large circular crown patch is clear "warm sepia," extending in a 

 median stripe down to the bill ; there is a narrow loral stripe from the 

 bill to the eye and a broader one, though less distinct, from the eye 

 to the occiput, both " warm sepia " ; above these, broad stripes of 

 grayish buff extend from the lores to the occiput, nearly encircling 

 the dark crown, from which a median stripe of the sepia extends 

 down the neck. The back, wings, and thighs are softly variegated 

 with " warm sepia," " wood brown," and " cinnamon buff." The 

 under parts are largely " pinkish buff," suffused with " cinnamon 

 buff " on the breast and fading out to nearly white on the chin. The 

 down is all dusky or dark sepia at the base. 



In fresh ju venal plumage, as seen in Alaska in August, the crown 

 is streaked with sepia, the feathers edged with light buff ; the feath- 

 ers of the mantle, scapulars, tertials, and wing coverts are sepia or 

 dusky, edged or notched with light buff; the rump and upper tail 

 coverts are white, but much more heavily spotted with dusky than in 

 the European form; the remiges are all conspicuously barred with 

 dusky and light buff; the buff edgings fade out almost to white 

 later on ; the under parts are dull buffy whitish, shaded on the chest 

 with deeper grayish buff. A post ju venal molt begins in September, 

 at which the body plumage is renewed, but not the remiges and few, 

 if any, of the rectrices; most of the wing coverts are retained and 

 some of the tertials. The resulting first winter plumage is like 

 that of the adult except for the wings and tail. 



At the first prenuptial molt the next spring the sexes begin to dif- 

 ferentiate, the males being more richly colored with more cinnamon 

 feathers in the white under parts, and the females have the throat 

 and breast more or less streaked with sepia. This molt is incomplete 

 and irregular, with much individual variation in the advance toward 

 maturity. Sometimes there is very little or no molt, the worn winter 

 plumage being retained until summer ; sometimes new winter feathers 

 are acquired ; but usually some or many of the body feathers, the tail, 

 and some tertials and wing coverts are molted and replaced with 

 feathers like the adult. The new tail feathers of the first nuptial 

 plumage are plain gray, unbarred. Birds in this plumage are found 

 on their breeding grounds and probably breed at this age. 



At the next molt, the first postnuptial, the adult winter plumage is 

 assumed by a complete molt from July to December. Adults have a 

 partial prenuptial molt, between February and May, which involves 

 most of the body plumage, usually the tail, some of the tertails, and 

 some of the wing coverts ; they also have a complete postnuptial molt 

 beginning with the body plumage in July or August. In the adult 

 nuptial plumage the central pair of tail feathers are barred com- 



