GREENSHA.NK. 487 



on the sides and behind, marked with well-defined dark 

 lines, on a ground-colour of grejish- white ; the back, wing- 

 coverts, and tertials, ash- brown, edged with bufify- white ; 

 quill-primaries uniform dusky-black ; tail-feathers white, 

 those in the middle barred transversely, the outer feathers 

 striped longitudinally with ash-brown ; chin white ; front 

 of the neck to the breast, and the sides, under the wings, 

 white, slightly marked longitudinally with ash-colour ; breast, 

 belly, vent, and under tail-coverts, pure white ; legs and 

 toes olive-green ; claws black. The specimen from which 

 the figure was taken was killed at the beginning of May ; 

 the dark streaks and spots on the neck are well defined, and 

 almost black ; the centre of some of the feathers on the 

 back is in change to greenish-black, which is the prevailing 

 tint on the upper surface of the body when the plumage of 

 the breeding-season is confirmed, and the light-coloured 

 margins of the gi'eater wing- coverts, and the tertials espe- 

 cially, are varied with dark spots. The more uniform ash- 

 grey is the plumage of winter ; the well-defined dark lines 

 and spots assumed in summer are not produced by any 

 partial moulting, or the production of new feathers, but by 

 an alteration in the colour of the old feather. 



The whole length of the adult Greenshank is about twelve 

 inches ; from the carpal joint to the end of the wing, seven 

 inches ; the first quill-feather the longest. 



In the immature bird the dorsal feathers are margined 

 with fulvous, and the chest and flanks are minutely pencilled 

 with blackish-grey. 



A nestling obtained at Muonioniska on the 11th July, 

 1879, is ashy-white on the under parts ; the upper parts bufl^", 

 longitudinally streaked with black ; a rather triangular dark 

 patch on the crown, and a faint streak from the base of the 

 bill through the eye, uniting in waved lines at the nape. 



