138 MANUAL OF PHILIPPINE BIRDS. 



"Young hirds. — These can always be distinguished from the adults 

 in summer or winter plumage by the narrow sandy buff margins to the 

 feathers of the upper surface, and by the ashy fulvous tinge on the fore 

 neck, which is devoid of the dusky streaks seen in the adults. 



"Nestling. — Covered with golden buff down, spotted with black, and 

 spangled with silvery tips to the down; the black forms a line down the 

 center of back; under surface dull white, tinged with buff on the fore 

 neck." (Sliarpe.) 



Genus HETEROPYGIA Coues, 1861. 



Bill straight, very slightly expanded at tip; culmen less than tarsus 

 and equal to middle toe without claw. 



117. HETEROPYGIA AURITA (Latham). 



SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER. 



Tringa aurita Latham, Ind. Orn. Suppl. (1801), 66. 

 Totanvs acuminatus Horsfield, Trans. Linn. Soc. (1821), 13, 192. 

 Heteropygia acuminata Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1896), 24, 566; 

 Hand-List (1899), 1, 163; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List 

 (1906), 28. 

 Pisobia auriia A. 0. U. Coiimittee, Auk (1908), 25, 366. 

 Batan N. (McGregor); Luzon [Celestino) ; Mindanao (Everett). Alaska, 

 eastern Siberia, and China, south in winter to Australia and New Zealand. 



"Adult male in breeding plumage. — General color above sandy rufous, 

 streaked with black down the center of the feathers, these black centers 

 being very much more distinct on the scapulars and inner secondaries, 

 where the rufous margins are very bright; lower back, rump, and upper 

 tail-coverts dusky black, the lateral tail-coverts sandy nifous barred with 

 black; lesser wing-coverts dull brown; median coverts brown; with 

 blackish centers and ashy fulvous margins ; greater coverts uniform dusky 

 brown with white tips ; alula uniform brown ; primary-coverts blackish, the 

 inner ones tipped with white; quills brown, dusky blackish at tips and 

 along outer webs, the shafts for the most part white, brown toward the 

 bases; secondaries brown, with a little white at base of inner webs, and 

 narrowly fringed with white near tips, inner ones a little more broadly; 

 tail ashy brown fringed with white round the end, the center feathers 

 blackish and extended a little beyond the ends of the others; crown 

 bright sandy nifous minutely streaked with black; lores and a distinct 

 eyebrow white, with narrow streaks of blackish ; sides of face white, with 

 dusky streaks; ear-coverts tinged with rufous; under surface white; chin 

 unspotted; throat, fore neck, and chest tinged with sandy rufous, and 

 minutely spotted with dusk}' black, which sometimes takes the form of 

 longitudinal streaks or arrowhead bars, the latter form of markings being 

 especially distinct on the sides of body; breast and abdomen white, the 



