614 SCOLOPACID^. 



the upper breast, besides having more or less of these striations, is mottled 

 with larger pale brown spots, here and there interspersed with conspicuous 

 heart-shaped blackish brown spots, which are the first traces of the coming 

 summer plumage. Lores, top, back and sides of the head and neck very 

 pale greyish brown, all the feathers narrowly streaked along ' the shaft with 

 dark brown ; the upper back and whole mantle is a mixture of pale brown 

 and ashy, most of the feathers with blackish shafts, more or less darkly 

 centred, and all conspicuously, though narrowly, margined and tipped with 

 white. Lower back and rump brown, the feathers narrowly and regularly 

 margined with white ; upper tail coverts similar, but the white margins much 

 broader, and the brown more or less obsolete on many of them. Tail 

 feathers greyish brown, greyer and somewhat darker on the central ones, and 

 paler and browner on the external ones ; all are excessively, narrowly, in fact 

 almost obsoletely, bordered with white. The primaries and their greater 

 coverts are hair brown, most of the latter tipped white j the secondaries and 

 their greater coverts are a pale, somewhat greyish brown, all of them narrowly, 

 but the coverts less narrowly of the two, margined with white. The wing 

 lining, except just at the margin of the wing, which is mottled with brown, 

 pure white ; the axillaries white with traces of irregular, wavy pale brown bars. 

 There are a few elongated triangular pale brown dashes on the flanks, and in 

 some specimens one or two larger blackish brown spots pertaining to the 

 summer plumage." 



According to Schlegel, the summer plumage is as follows : 



" Feathers of the head and neck each with a large dark brown longitudinal 

 streak or spot on an albescent ground, which is tinged with brownish rufous 

 on the nape. Feathers of the breast and nape brownish black, each with a 

 whitish transverse band, often tinged with brownish red towards the middle. 

 The rest of the lower parts and the rump pure white, spotted, except towards 

 the middle of the abdomen, with broader or narrower dark spots. Back and 

 wings brownish black, lighter on the wing coverts ; all the feathers spotted and 

 bordered with a bright brownish rufous, gradually disappearing towards the 

 edge of the wing. Lower wing coverts white, becoming black at the base. 



" Bill black, sometimes paler at the base of lower mandible ; legs and feet 

 dusky, greenish dusky, yellowish plumbeous or pale plumbeous, according, 

 I suppose, to age or seasonal progress. 



"Length. H'35 to 12 inches ; expanse 23-5 to 24 ; tail from vent 27 to 

 2*8; wing 7-1 to 7*3; bill at front r6 to 1*85; tarsus 1^4 to 1-55 ; wings 

 when closed reach from 0-3 to 0-4 beyond end of tail." 



ff a fr t Kurrachee (Sind) and the Beloochistan Coast. Common during 

 winter in the Kurrachee harbour and along the Mekran Coast. In Arracan 

 and the delta of the Irrawaddy, as well at the Andamans. Recorded also 

 from Australia and Java. 



