BAY-BIRDS. 269 



ish white ; deeper red on the back ; lower part of 

 the breast, abdomen, and sides of the body pure 

 white ; tarsi and feet black ; claws small, compress- 

 ed ; primaries, outer webs, black ; inner webs light 

 brown ; shafts brown at the base, tips black, rest 

 parts white ; secondaries light brown, broadly mar- 

 gined with white. Winter dress, lower parts white ; 

 upper parts greyish-white, intermixed with black or 

 dusky, darkest on the back. Length seven inches 

 and three-quarters, wing four and seven-eighths." 

 Giraud. 



TURNSTONE. 

 Genus Strepsilas. 



Generic Distinctions. Bill shorter than the head, 

 strong, tapering, compressed, and blunt; neck rather 

 short ; body full ; wings long, of moderate breadth, 

 and pointed ; tail round, rather short, and composed 

 of twelve feathers; tarsus equal to the middle toe, 

 and rather stout ; hind toe small, fore-toes free, with 

 a narrow margin. 



BRANT-BIRD. 



Horse-foot Snipe, Turnstone, Beach-Robins. 



Strepsilas Interpres. 



This is a beautiful bird, and stools pretty well, 

 but is rareand mostly solitary ; its young are at Egg 

 Harbor sometimes termed beach-birds. The brant- 

 bird is considered good eating. It feeds on the eggs 

 of the king-crab or horse-foot, which it digs up by 

 jumping in the air and striking with both its feet at 



