TURNSTONK. 423 



feather the longest. Feet four-toed, three in front, one behind ; the anterior 

 toes united by a membrane at the base, and furnished with narrow rudimentary 

 interdigital membranes ; hind toe articulated up the tarsus, and only touching 

 tiie ground at the tip. 



The name of Turnstone has long been applied to this 

 species from the method adopted by these birds of searching 

 for food by turning over small stones with their strong beaks 

 to get at the marine insects that lurk under them. The 

 habit is not more singular than the species, which is the only- 

 one of the genus hitherto discovered by naturalists, and is 

 remarkable for the beauty and variety of its plumage. It 

 inhabits the sea shore and the margins of lakes and larsre 

 rivers, occasionally associating with some of the smaller Plo- 

 vers or the Sanderling, next to be described, which it more 

 resembles in its manners than the Sandpipers. It feeds on 

 the smaller Crustacea, and the soft-bodied animals inhabiting 

 thin shells, turning over stones, and searching among sea- 

 weed for its food ; but is observed to dwell longer in one 

 place, if not disturbed, than the Plovers, and is said to utter 

 a loud twittering note when on the wing. 



It frequents our coast either singly or in small flocks of 

 f(jur or five in number, from August throughout the winter 

 till May, when it leaves ns to go northward to breed, and 

 returns in August with its young, which at that time have 

 none of the fine, rich, red, black, or white colours, so conspi- 

 cuous in the adult birds. Dr. Fleming says it is stationary 

 in Zetland, and from having seen it there at all seasons, con- 

 cluded it bred there. When on the coast of Norway, Mr. 

 Hewitson says, " We had visited numerous islands with little 

 encouragement, and were about to land upon a flat rock, bare 

 except where here and there grew tufts of grass, or stunted 

 juniper clinging to its surface, when our attention was at- 

 tracted by the singular cry of a Turnstone, which, in its eager 

 watch had seen our approach, and perched itself upon an 



