592 CURLEW-SANDPIPER. 



shot a female from a nest containing 4 eggs, near the mouth of 

 the last-named river. Even there, the species was very scarce, and 

 the Yenesei probably forms the western breeding-limit. Further 

 east Middendorff had been nearly successful, for he observed birds 

 dispersed over the tundras of the Taimyr in lat. 74° N. in June, 

 and secured a female with a partially-shelled egg in her oviduct ; 

 while Dr. Bunge noticed migrants passing over the Lena delta, 

 probably on their way to the Liakoff Islands, and the ' Vega ' Expedi- 

 tion obtained a specimen close to Bering Strait on June 6th 1879. 

 Mr. J. Murdoch procured an example at Point Barrow, Alaska, on 

 June 6th 1883, but, with this exception, the species is unknown in 

 Arctic America, while it is of rare occurrence on the Atlantic sea- 

 board of the United States, and is exceptional in the West Indies. 

 In winter it has been found down to Patagonia, Tasmania, and 

 Cape Colony ; while the mountain-ranges of Central Asia offer no 

 barrier to its progress to or from the Indian region, and Severtzoff 

 always maintained that it bred on the lofty Pamirs. In spring, 

 migrants in the richest red plumage are to be seen from the Canaries 

 and Spain to Egypt and the Levant, passing northwards. 



Mr. Popham's nest, above mentioned, was a rather deep hollow 

 in a ridge of the tundra ; the 4 eggs resemble some of those of the 

 Common Snipe, though smaller: average i"45 by i in. (see Pr. 

 Z. S. 1897, p, 490, pi. li., figs. 1-4). The bird is generally found, 

 later in the year, in small flocks on sandy shores, ooze and salt- 

 marshes, frequently associating with Dunlins and other Waders, 

 though as a rule it keeps somewhat apart. Its wings are compara- 

 tively long and pointed, and the flight is very strong, especially 

 down wind, the white rump being then conspicuous. The note 

 is more prolonged than that of the Dunlin ; the food consists of 

 aquatic insect?s, small crustaceans, and worms. 



The adult in summer-plumage has the head, neck and mantle 

 chestnut, streaked and barred with black and grey; upper tail-coverts 

 white tinged with buff, and broadly barred with black ; quills and 

 tail-feathers ash-grey ; under parts chestnut-red, slightly barred with 

 dark brown and grey on the abdomen and flanks. After the autumn 

 moult the rufous colour is lost, and the under parts become white. 

 Length 8 in. (bill i"4), wing 5"i in. ; females being rather larger 

 than males. The young bird (figured in the foreground) has the 

 upper feathers margined with buff; tail-coverts white ; throat and 

 upper breast tinged with buff, and streaked with pale brown ; 

 remaining under parts white ; bill at first shorter and less decurved 

 than in the adult. 



