PURRE OR DUNLIN. 231 



In two specimens, the one killed on the Frith of 

 Forth, in the winter dress, the other procured in 

 the south, in the complete summer or breeding 

 dress, the entire length is respectively eight inches 

 and seven and a-half. In the winter state, the 

 plumage ahove is hair-brown, the feathers slightly 

 darker in the centres, those of the wings being 

 nearly clove-brown, on the shoulders, greater co- 

 verts, and long tertials, edged with greyish-white ; 

 the hair-brown of the upper parts extends across 

 the breast, becoming paler in the centre, and having 

 the shafts of each feather dark ; the chin, throat, 

 belly, and vent, pure white ; the rump and upper 

 tail-coverts clove-brown, edged with rufous ; the tail 

 itself very much cuneated, hair-brown, with the ex- 

 ception of the centre feathers proportionally longer 

 than the others, and which are clove-brown. In the 

 dress of the breeding season, the colours are very dif- 

 ferent. Above, the head and neck are greyish- white, 

 each feather marked with clove-brown in the centre, 

 and on the crown and nape tinted with orange-red ; 

 on the whole back and mantle the feathers are red- 

 dish-black, broadly edged with reddish-orange, at 

 the tips paler, and approaching to greyish-white ; 

 the chin is white ; the fore part and sides of the 

 neck and breast are greyish-white, the centre of 

 each feather marked with an oval black spot ; the 

 flanks and under tail-coverts pure white, sparingly 

 marked with longitudinal black streaks ; the centre 

 of the belly, so far back as the insertion of the 

 thighs, brownish- black, each feather narrowly tipped 



