SCOLOPACIDS. 497 
with dark brown; the back and wing-coverts nearly 
uniform dusky brown, with narrow lighter coloured 
margins.” A young bird of the year killed in the 
autumn has “‘ the head, neck and upper part of the 
back ash-grey; wing-coverts, scapulars and lower 
part of the back ash-brown, each feather ending with 
a half-circle of black and a minute terminal line of 
white; primaries dusky black; secondaries the 
same, but tipped with white; central tail-feathers 
elongated, pointed, ash-brown; outside feathers 
white; chin, neck in front, breast and all the under 
parts white.” These descriptions are all taken from 
Yarrell, and describe the bird at the various times 
of year and ages at which it is usually taken in 
England. 
Purre or Dunn, Tringa variabilis. This little 
Sandpiper is extremely numerous on our coast, and 
in the winter, when the greatest numbers are con- 
gregated, may be seen running about on the mud in 
search of food or flying in flocks of hundreds, or 
even thousands, sometimes nearly invisible against a 
dull wintry sky, and at others a glistening bright 
white as the whole flock at once makes a sudden turn, 
showing their pure white under parts. They 
generally feed very near the waters on the soft 
mud, and at such times it is very amusing to watch 
a flock of them (as they often allow a very close 
approach) probing the mud with their beaks for 
worms or running close to the sea and picking up 
