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day there was a fire, I decided, as a matter of curiosity, to keep it, 

 in order to ascertain how long it would remain before decomposi- 

 tion would take place. On several subsequent examinations, I 

 found no symptoms of decay, but discovered that the breast and 

 other fleshy parts began to shrink. Now, at the expiration of two 

 years, it is perfectly dry and hard — the eyes sunk in, or entirely 

 dried up, a large portion of the breast-bone bare, the abdomen much 

 contracted, and at the same time all the feathers are complete; in 

 other words, it is a self-preserved mummy. The entrails were not 

 removed, neither was it injected, nor artificial means of any kind 

 resorted to. Had this occurred with an upland bird, especially 

 when in poor condition, I should not have thought it strange; but 

 the shore birds, from their being so excessively oily, are proverbial 

 for spoiling soon after shooting. 



TRINGA. RUFESCENS— VIEILL. 



BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER. 



Tringa rufescens, Nutt. Man. 

 Triiigd rufescens, Aud. Orn. Biog. 



Specific Character — Bill very slender, about the same length as 

 the head ; length of tarsi fifteen-sixteenths of an inch ; primaries 

 dark brown, the inner webs at base white, toward the end finely 

 dotted with black, and margined with yellowish-red ; sides of the 

 head, neck all round, and the breast yellowish-red, spotted with 

 brownish-black ; rest of the lower parts paler. Adult with the 

 head rather large; Inral space, sides of the head, hind neck, fore 

 neck, breast, and sides of the body, yellowish-red, spotted with 

 dusky, throat rather paler ; upper part of the head dusky, the 

 feathers margined with reddish-white ; the feathers on the fore 

 part of the back dark brown, margined with white ; the hind part 

 of the back darker, margined with reddish-yellow; wings dark 

 brown, outer secondaries narrowly tipped with white ; coverts 



