BLACK-TAILED GODWIT. 493 



from the gape to the eye a dark streak, produced by small 

 black spots on feathers of a reddish-brown ; over this and 

 around the eye a ring of pale brown ; top of the head and 

 the ear-coverts reddish-brown streaked with black ; the neck 

 before and behind, a reddish fawn-colour ; the feathers on 

 the back dark brown, almost black at the base and on the 

 centre ; primaries and tail rather brighter than in the 

 female ; the breast white, barred across with rufous-brown 

 and dark brown ; the thighs and belly more sparingly barred 

 with dark brown only; vent and under tail-coverts white; 

 legs, toes, and claws, brownish-black. 



The whole length of a male is sixteen inches ; beak alone 

 three inches and a quarter ; weight about 10 oz. 



The female in summer is duller on the head and neck ; 

 the back, scapulars and secondaries are of a dull earthy grey 

 with comparatively few black and rufous markings ; the dark 

 bars on the breast are fainter and less regular; and the 

 under parts are whiter than in the male. 



Young birds of the year are during their first autumn 

 tinged with red on the neck, and may be distinguished 

 throughout their first winter from old birds, by their smaller 

 size, and by the ash-brown tint which pervades their neck 

 and the upper part of the breast : the white of the lower 

 part of the breast is also clouded with ash-grey. 



The nestling is yellowish-bufi", streaked with black on the 

 crown, neck, and back ; a narrow dark loral streak ; under 

 parts yellowish-white. 



In the illustration at the commencement of the account 

 of the Black-tailed Godwit, the figure in the front sitting 

 down represents the male in summer plumage ; the larger 

 figure behind is the female in the more uniform and sombre 

 plumage of winter. 



