PUKPLE SANDPIPER. 195 



large end; on others they are more evenly distributed over the entire surface; 

 and on many a few very dark scratches^ spots^ or streaks are scattered 

 here and there amongst the brown markings. The underlying markings 

 are numerous and conspicuous, and are pale violet-grey or greyish brown in 

 colour. The eggs vary in length from 1-55 to 1-45 inch, and in breadth 

 from 1*1 to I'O inch. It is almost impossible to distinguish some eggs of 

 the Purple Sandpiper from certain varieties of those of the Jack Snipe 

 or the Common Snipe ; but on an average the ground-colour of the eggs 

 of the two latter species is less olive. Eggs of the Dunlin resemble very 

 closely those of the Purple Sandpiper, but are smaller. 



The Purple Sandpiper only appears to rear one brood in the year. As 

 soon as the young are hatched the old birds are extremely anxious for 

 their safety, and strive by many artifices to lure an intruder from them. 

 Both birds apparently assist in the duties of incubation, but Collett never 

 found any females tending the young birds. During the breeding-season 

 the Purple Sandpiper obtains much of its food on the coast, coming 

 from the adjoining hills on which it is breeding to feed on the shore at 

 low water. 



It is not known that there is any difference in the colour of the sexes 

 of this species. In breeding-plumage the head, hind neck, mantle, and 

 scapulars are dark greyish brown, each feather having a bright chestnut 

 margin ; the quills, wing-coverts, and innermost secondaries are greyish 

 brown with obscure pale edges, and a white bar appears across the wing 

 during flight, formed by the white tips of the greater wing-coverts and the 

 white bases of the secondaries, some of the inner of which are entirely white ; 

 the rump, upper tail-coverts, and the two centre tail-feathers are dark brown, 

 the remaining tail-feathers being grey. An obscure white streak passes 

 over each eye, and the underparts are white, except on the breast and 

 Hanks, where the feathers are greyish brown, sufi'used with chestnut and 

 margined only with Avhite. Bill dark brown, paler at the base; legs and 

 feet dull yellow, claws black; irides hazel. After the autumn moult all 

 trace of chestnut has vanished from the plumage, the eye-stripe has almost 

 disappeared, and the upper parts are suffused with a rich purplish gloss ; 

 the margins of the feathers are grey, and the dark centres of the featheis 

 of the underparts are much more developed, the only pure white feathers 

 being those on the centre of the belly and the axillaries. Young in first 

 plumage closely resemble the adult in winter plumage, but every feather 

 of the upper parts has a pale margin, pure white on the wing- coverts, 

 mixed Avhite and buff on the mantle, scapulars, and innermost secondaries, 

 and buff only on the head, rump, and upper tail-coverts. Birds of the 

 year are intermediate between young in first plumage and adult in Avinter 

 plumage, being easily distinguished from the former by the absence of the 

 buff margins on any of the feathers of the upper parts, and from the 



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