COMMON SANDPIPER. 



121 



sexes is alike, and the variations attributable to age and season are small. 

 The difficulty of studying them is also increased by the fact that both the 

 spring and autumn moults take place whilst the bird is absent from this 

 country at its winter-quarters. An example in the Anderson collection 

 from India, obtained on the 1st of October, is moulting its quills ; one in 

 the Swinhoe collection from China, captured in March, is in the same 

 condition; whilst two examples collected by Dr. Emin Bey on the 16th of 

 February are both moulting their primaries. 



The general colour of the upper parts of the adult in breeding-plumage 

 is a sandy brown, which becomes a greenish brown on the wing-coverts, 

 rump, upper tail-coverts, and tail, and a neutral brown on the quills ; all the 

 small feathers have dark central streaks, and the wing-coverts, innermost 

 secondaries, scapulars, and upper tail-coverts are barred with dark brown. 

 A white bar across the wing, formed by the white tips of the greater wing- 

 coverts, the white bases of the secondaries, and the white on the basal half 

 of the inside web of most of the primaries, is conspicuous during flight. 

 The three outer tail-feathers on each side are barred with black and white. 

 The underparts are white, suffused with brown on the sides of the breast, 

 and streaked with dark brown on the neck, breast, and under wing-coverts. 

 Bill dark brown, paler at the base; legs and feet greyish olive; claws black; 

 irides hazel. After the autumn moult, the streaks and bars on the upper 

 parts are scarcely perceptible, except on the wing-coverts and upper tail- 

 coverts ; and although the sides of the neck and breast are still suff'used 

 with brown, the streaks have all but disappeared, and the general colour 

 of the upper parts has become a glossy greenish brown. Young in first 

 plumage have the underparts as in adult winter plumage, but the upper 

 parts differ from those of winter in having each feather edged with a 

 marginal line of buff and a submarginal line of black. Young in first 

 winter and first spring plumages retain the light and dark crescentic 

 markings, especially on the wing-coverts, scapulars, and rump. Young in 

 down are pale grey, marbled with black on the upper parts. 



