THE GREEN-LEGGED TATTLERS. 293 



Helodromas solitiwius^ Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxiv. p. 444 

 (1896). 



Adult Male in Breeding Plumage. — Similar to H. ochropus, but 

 smaller, and wanting the white rump of the latter species ; the 

 rump, as well as the mesial upper tail-coverts dusky-blackish ; 

 the lateral upper tail-coverts white, broadly barred with black, 

 exactly like the tail-feathers, all of which have broad black bars; 

 under surface of body resembling that of JI. ochropus^ but the 

 white bars on the axillaries and under wing-coverts much wider 

 than in that species ; bill greenish-black \ the edges of the eye- 

 lids dark grey ; feet greenish-grey, claws brownish-black ; iris 

 brown. Total length, 7 inches; culmen, i'2; wing, 5-1 ; tail, 

 2*1 ; tarsus, 1*15. 



Winter Plumage. — Differs from the winter plumage of -^ ochro- 

 ptis exactly in the same way as the summer plumage of the two 

 birds differ. From the summer plumage it is distinguished by 

 being more uniform above, with scarcely any white spots, the 

 head uniform and not streaked with white; eyelid and a supra- 

 loral streak white ; lower throat, fore-neck, and sides of neck 

 ashy-brown, slightly mottled with darker brown spots or bars. 



Young after the First Moult. — Similar to the winter plumage of 

 the adults, but all the margins of the feathers of the back and 

 wings are notched or spotted with light rufous-brown ; under 

 surface of body pure white, the lower throat streaked with brown, 

 and the sides of the fore-neck and of the breast nearly uniform 

 dark brown. 



Range in Great Britain. — Three specimens of this species are 

 recorded as having been procured in the British Islands. The 

 first was obtained on the banks of the Clyde, the second in the 

 Scilly Islands, and the third in Cornwall. 



Range outside the British Islands. — The " Solitary Sandpiper " 

 or " Wood-Tattler," as it is called by the American ornitholo- 

 gists, is generally distributed throughout North America during 

 the nesting-season, breeding, in suitable localities, from Alaska 

 to the Atlantic coast, ranging south, in winter, through Central 

 America, the West Indies, to Brazil and Paraguay. 



Habits. — The following is taken from Mr. D. G. Elliot's recent 

 work on American Shore-birds : — '' While loving solitude, it is 



