BIRDS OF TASMANIA. 139 



white; breast and sides of tlie body cieaiii} -white, tinged with 

 grey; abdomen and under tail coverts white. 



Young. — Resemble adults in winter plumage, but more reddish 

 on botli upper and under surfaces; tail distinctly barred with 

 dusky-brown and butty-wiiite. 



Nest and Eggs. — Unknown. 



Breeding Seaso)i. — Unknown. 



(Jcograpliical Distribution. — Tasmania, Australia in general, 

 New Zealand, the other Oceanic islands, the Malayan Archipelago, 

 up through China and Japan to Eastern Siberia. 



Obscrvdtious. — This species is the Eastern representative of 

 the Bar-tailed Godwit (L. Jimosa) of Europe. The two species 

 breed in almost but not quite the same regions. The European 

 bird nests principall}' in Finland and Lapland, only going as far 

 east as the Yenesei Valley, while the Australian species favours 

 chietiy the eastern portion of Siberia. It is generally considered 

 that the Taimyr Peninsula forms the dividing line between the 

 two species. Their general habits are to all intents similar. The 

 vicinity of the sea-shore, and on the sand-banks and mud-riats, are 

 the favourite haunts of the Barred-rumped Godwit. In addition 

 to these places it is not infrequently found on flooded lands, 

 swamps, and lagoons. On occasions it congregates in fairly large 

 flocks, and keeps company with other species of shore-loving and 

 wading birds. 



It is a shy species, very difiicult to approach. Although it 

 freely mixes with other birds when feeding, yet when disturbed it 

 separates from them and flies only in company with its own 

 species. On the mainland when plentiful it is shot for the market. 



Although the nest and eggs of this species have not yet been 

 discovered it is thought there is every probabilitv' that they are 

 verv similar to those of the Bar-tailed Godwit. 



*CO]\IMON SANDPIPER 



(Tringoidcs liypoleucus, liinn.) 



Male (breeding plumage). — Upper surface bronzy-brown, with 

 central arrow-shaped markings of black, fonning bars on the 

 scapulars and inner secondaries; tail feathers bronzj'-brown, 

 barred with blackish-brown and tipped with white ; wing coverts 

 like the back, but regularly barred with blackish; greater coverts 

 broadly tipped with white ; primary coverts and quills brown, 

 glossed with olive ; the secondaries are tipped with white, and 

 have broad white bases; head and neck bronzy-brown, with 

 blackish-brown shaft-streaks; cheeks and imder surface white, 

 streaked with brownish ; sides of chest and upper breast brown ; 

 axillaries white ; iris brown ; bill blackish : feet greyish-green. 

 Dimensions in mm. : — Length, 200; bill, 27; wing, 103; tail, 50; 

 tarsus, 24. 



