SCOLOPACIDZE. AO] 
back, but with a rufous tinge on some of the light 
parts and the black marks more regular; upper and 
under tail-coverts white; breast and belly white, 
with some black markings towards the tips of the 
feathers. It would seem from the description of 
these two birds, as well as from other specimens 
that I have seen, and from the various descriptions 
given in books, that the feathers of the body, after 
their spring change, somewhat resemble, especially 
in their ground colour, the general colour of the 
ruff. 
The bird in winter plumage has the head and 
neck ash-grey, darkest, even inclining to dusky, on 
the top of the head; the back, scapulars and wing- 
coverts ash-grey (a few feathers appear to be assum- 
ing the spring change, and are marked with black 
and rusty); the tail-coverts are white, except those 
in the centre, which are barred black and rusty, and 
one of the outside ones has a black spot (probably a 
change is taking place in these feathers) ; the tail- 
feathers are ash-grey, a few of them barred with 
black and very pale ash, especially at the tips and 
on the outer webs (also showing a change); chin 
neatly white; fore part of the neck and the breast 
ash-erey; the rest of the under parts white. I do 
not know when this bird was shot, but I should 
think, from the few indications of a change, it must 
have been at the end of winter or quite the begin- 
ning of spring. 
2M 3 
