424 SCOLOPACID^. 



olive (dryiDg black) ; under surface of the toes dilated and 

 flat. In this state of plumage it is the Ruddy Plover of 

 some authors. 



The female is, as a rule, slightly larger than the male, and 

 somewhat less rich in the colour of its summer dress. 

 Sabine goes so far as to say that " in several pairs killed 

 at different periods of the breeding-season, the males and 

 females were invariably found to differ in their plumage ; the 

 general colour of the female being lighter, and having more 

 cinereous and less of black and reddish marking than that 

 of the male : this is especially the case on the chin, throat, 

 and fore part of the neck ; which may be described in the 

 female as white, with a very slight sprinkling of dark spots, 

 and scarcely any appearance of red ; whereas in the males, 

 the dark colours greatly predominate." No such difference, 

 however, was observed by Major Feilden. 



The whole length of an adult bird is about eight inches. 

 From the carpal joint to the end of the wing, four inches and 

 seven-eighths ; the first quill-feather a little longer than the 

 second, and the longest in the wing. 



In winter the plumage on the upper surface of the body 

 is of a very light ash-grey, almost white, the shaft of each 

 feather forming a darker streak ; carpal portion of the 

 wing and the primary quill-feathers almost black ; tail- 

 feathers ash-colour, edged with w4iite ; chin, throat, and all 

 the under surface of the body, white ; beak, legs, toes, and 

 claws, blackish. 



The appearance of the Sanderling in spring when 

 changing to the plumage of summer, is prettier than at 

 any other season ; each feather on the upper surface of the 

 body exhibits a portion of black in the centre, edged partly 

 with rufous and partly with the remains of the white 

 peculiar to winter ; by degrees the white edging gives place 

 to the red ; the neck in front becomes speckled, but the 

 under surface of the body remains white all the year. 



A female killed at the end of August had the upper 

 surface of the body darker than in the spring, but mixed 

 with dull black, some red, and greyish-white ; almost all 



