216 BIRDS or AUSTRALIA. 



more in number, associating with Hcsmatopus fuUginosus and 

 other shore birds, such as Curlews, Whimbrels, Stints, Sand- 

 pipers, &c., that seek their food on beaches and sand-banks, 

 whereon each receding tide leaves numerous mollusks and 

 other marine animals, which afford a plentiful repast to my- 

 riads of birds of the order of which the present species forms 

 a part. In its appearance it is very handsome and attractive, 

 the white feathers of the wings and breast showing very con- 

 spicuously as it nimbly trips over the sands. During the 

 breeding-season, which lasts from September to January, it 

 leaves the shores and resorts to small islands and rocky pro- 

 montories for the pm-pose of rearing its young. The eggs, 

 which are two or three in number, are usually deposited on 

 the bare ground near the water's edge ; they are of a buffy 

 stone-colour, marked all over with large irregular blotches of 

 dark chestnut-brown, approaching to black ; two inches and a 

 quarter long by one inch five-eighths broad. The young are 

 soon capable of running, and in case of danger secrete them- 

 selves behind a stone or in a crevice of the rocks, while the 

 adults keep flying backwards and forwards, uttering their 

 loud and clamorous cries with the view of decoying away 

 the intruder — a stratagem often resorted to by other birds. 



The sexes present no external difference whatever. The 

 young, from the time they are half-grown until they have 

 arrived at maturity, have the same kind of plumage, but 

 differ from the adults in having each black feather of the back 

 and wings strongly edged with brown, forming circular marks 

 and bars on nearly the whole of the upper surface. 



Head, neck, breast, back, wings and tail-feathers for three 

 parts of their length from the tip, deep greenish black ; the 

 tips of the wing-coverts, abdomen, rump, upper and under 

 tail-coverts, and the bases of the tail-feathers pure white ; 

 irides crimson ; bill and eyelash deep orange-scarlet ; feet 

 light brick-red. 



