176 Allen's naturalist's library. 



but the spots rather more sparsely distributed. The ground- 

 colour is of an olive clay-brown, with black spots and blotches. 

 Axis, i'65-i*95 inch; diam., i'25-i'35. 



THE TURN-STONES. SUB-FAMILY ARENARIIN^. 



These curious little waders are distinguished by having the 

 lower half of the tarsus plated or scaled transversely, while its 

 hinder aspect is entirely reticulated. There is no " dertrum," 

 or swelling, at the end of the bill as there is in most of the 

 Plovers. The nasal groove does not extend for more than half 

 the length of the culmen. Two species of Turn-stone are 

 known, our own s^^eciQS^A.tnterpres, being found nearly all over 

 the world, while the Black Turn-stone (A. melanocephala) is 

 only known from Western North America, where it ranges 

 from Alaska to California. 



THE TURN-STONES. GENUS ARENARIA. 



Arenaria^ Brisson, Orn. v. p. 132 (1760). 

 Type, A. interpres (Linn.). 



Tfils is the single genus of the Turn-stones, and, therefore, 

 the characters are the same as those of the Sub-family. 



I. THE TURN-STONE. ARENARIA INTERPRES. 



Tringa i)iterpres^ Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 248 (1766). 



Strepsilas interpres^ Macgill. Brit. B. iv. p. 143 (1852) ; Dresser, 



B. Eur. vii. p. 555, pi. 532 (1875) ; B. O. U. List Brit. B. 



p. 161 (1883) ; Saunders, ed. Yarrell's Brit. B. iii. p. 289 



(1883); id. Man. Brit. B. p. 541 (1889); Lilford, Col. 



Fig. Brit. B. part xiv. (1890). 

 Charadrius interpres^ Seebohm, Hist. Brit. B. iii. p. 12 (1885). 

 Arenaria interpres^ Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxiv. p. 92 



(1896). 



{Plate LXXX.) 



Adult Male in Breeding Plumage. — General colour above black, 

 mixed with chestnut, or partly chestnut, feathers on the centre 

 of the mantle ; scapulars for the most part chestnut, but the 

 outer ones black at the ends, or irregularly marked with black, 



