264 Allen's naturalist's library. 



THE BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERS. GENUS TRINGITES. 



Tringiies, Cat. J. f. O. 1856, p. 418. 



Type, T. sub-ruficoUis (Vieill.). 



In most of the Snipes and Sandpipers the bill is longer than 

 the tarsus, but in the present genus the bill is very short and 

 does not equal the tarsus in length. The peculiar black 

 marbling on the inner web of the quills is also a peculiar feature 

 of the genus, which contains but a single American species, 

 which sometimes strays to Europe, and thus finds a place 

 within the British List. 



i. the buff-breasted sandpiper. tringites 

 sub-ruficollis. 



Tringa siihmficoUis, Vieill. N. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. xxxiv. p. 465 



(1816). 

 Tringa riifescens, Vieill. N. Diet. d'Plist. Nat. xxxiv. p. 470 



(18 1 9) ; Macgill. Brit. B. iv. p. 194 (1852) ; Lilford, Col. 



Fig. Brit. B. part xix. (1891). 

 Tringites rufescens, Dresser, B. Eur. viii. p. iii. pi. 561 (1876) ; 



B. O. U. List Brit. B. p. 172 (1883); Saunders, ed. 



Yarrell's Brit. B. iii. p. 435 (1883) ; Seebohm, Hist. Brit. 



B. iii. p. 222 (1885); Saunders, Man. Brit. B. p. 587 



(1889). 

 Tringites sub-rnficoUis (Vieill.), Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxiv. 



p. 521(1896). 



Adult Male. — General colour above mottled, the feathers 

 being black, with sandy-coloured edges, the scapulars like 

 the back ; the lower-back, rump, and upper tail-coverts like 

 the rest of the back, but the sandy margins deeper in colour 

 and not so distinct, the lateral upper tail-coverts being whitish, 

 with a sub-terminal line of brown ; outer lesser wing-coverts 

 black, fringed with white; the remainder of the coverts brown, 

 with blackish centres and pale edges, the greater series with 

 some irregular sub-terminal lines of blackish ; bastard-wing, 

 primary-coverts, and primaries brown, tipped with white, with 

 a sub-terminal shade or bar of black, the inner webs marbled 

 with black; the secondaries white, marbled with black near 



