Shore-bird Shooting 2>A7 



neck, upper breast, and under tail-coverts, sandy buff, the neck 

 and breast spotted, flank and tail-coverts barred with blackish ; 

 under wing-coverts and axillars, white, barred with black. 



Winter pbunage — Sandy buff more pronounced, buff edges to 

 feathers above broader and blackish markings on neck larger ; 

 otherwise similar. 



Young — Much more rufous than adults ; the black above more uni- 

 form and the pale tips to the scapulars and wing-coverts less 

 distinct ; the inner, greater wing-coverts and inner secondaries, 

 barred with black and rufous ; the sides of head and hind neck 

 more rufous, and the white breast and white tail feathers, barred 

 with dusky ; bill, brown ; feet and legs, light slate ; iris, brown. 



Downy youtig — Above, ashy fulvous becoming rufous on crown, 

 centre of back and wings; striped with black on forehead, 

 crown, lores, sides of head, back, and flanks ; superciliary line, 

 side of head, centre of breast and abdomen white ; rest of lower 

 parts, orange-buff. 



Measurements — Length, 1 1 inches ; wing, 5.50 inches ; tail, 2 inches ; 

 culmen, 2.50 inches ; tarsus, i 30 inches. 



Eggs — Four; ohve-gray, spotted with pale purplish and purplish 

 brown; measure 1.65 by 1.15 inches. 



Habitat — Breeds from Prussia, Poland, Russia, and Siberia, west 

 of the Yenesei River, north to beyond ji° north latitude. 

 Winters from the Mediterranean to South Africa. Occurs in 

 migration from Persia to Great Britain and has been recorded 

 from Madeira. A skin in the British Museum was taken in 

 Hudson Bay before 1830. 



This is a solitary bird not found in flocks except 

 in the beginning of the pairing season, when the 

 males meet to " drum," Professor Collett says, and 

 sometimes to fight for the females. At this time 

 eight or ten birds will collect toward dusk at some 

 damp place in a marsh, where there is water be- 

 tween the tussocks, and spend most of the night 

 in displaying the beauty of their voices and their 



