196 AVES GRALLATORES. [TOTANUS, 



Found on many parts of the coast during the autumnal and winter 

 months, hut is less common than the last species. Generally ohserved in 

 small flocks. Retires to the northern parts of the country to hreed. Nest 

 said to he placed on open and exposed heaths. Food, worms and insects. 



GEN. 74. TOTANUS, Bechst. 



* Bill slender, straight. 



187- T. fuscus, Leisl. (Dusky Sandpiper.) Upper 

 plumage ash-gray; rump, and all the under parts, pure 

 white: legs, and base of the lower mandible, red. 



T. fuscus, Temm. Man. d'Orn. torn. n. p. 639. Cambridge Godwit, 

 Penn. Brit. Zool. vol. n. p. 447. Dusky Sandpiper, Shaw, Zool. 

 vol. xii. p. 132. Selb. Illust. vol. n. p. 69. pi. 15. f. 1, & 2. 



DIMENS. Entire length twelve inches : length of the hill two inches 

 five lines ; of the tarsus two inches three lines ; of the naked part of the 

 tibia one inch three lines and a half; of the tail two inches seven lines; 

 from the carpus to the end of the wing six inches ten lines. 



DESCRIPT. (Adult in winter plumuge.) Crown of the head, nape, and 

 back, cinereous gray, with fine dusky streaks on the shafts of the feathers ; 

 wing-coverts and scapulars cinereous gray edged with white* ; between 

 the bill and the eye a blackish patch, above which is a white streak; 

 cheeks, sides and fore part of the neck, variegated with white and ash- 

 colour; throat, breast, rump, belly and abdomen, pure white; flanks 

 whitish, passing into ash-gray : upper tail-coverts, and three or four 

 outermost tail-feathers, with alternate transverse bars of white and dusky 

 brown ; central tail-feathers of a uniform ash-gray narrowly edged with 

 white : bill black ; base of the lower mandible red : legs bright orange-red. 

 (Adult in summer plumage.) All the upper parts deep blackish brown, the 

 feathers on the back, scapulars, and wing-coverts, marked on the edges 

 with white spots mostly of a triangular form ; head, neck, and under parts, 

 dusky gray ; the neck without spots, but the breast and belly sometimes 

 with a narrow crescent-shaped white edging at the tip of each feather : 

 vent, and under tail-coverts, barred transversely with white and dusky ; 

 tail dusky ash, with little transverse white streaks at the edges of the 

 feathers, not reaching to the shafts : legs reddish brown. (Young of the 

 year.) Upper parts olivaceous brown, the feathers on the back with a 

 narrow edging of white; wing-coverts and scapulars with triangular 

 white spots : all the under parts whitish, with indistinct spots and trans- 

 verse undulating bars of cinereous brown : legs and toes orange-red. 



A rare species in Great Britain, but has been killed at different times 

 in various parts of the country. Frequents marshes, and the borders of 

 lakes and rivers. Food, principally molluscous animals. Retires to high 

 northern latitudes to breed. Obs. The Cambridge Godwit of Pennant is 

 this species in the adult winter plumage : the Spotted Redshank of the 

 same author (the Spotted Snipe of Latnam and Montagu) is the young 

 bird of the year. 



188. T. Calidris, Bechst. (Redshank Sandpiper.) 

 Upper parts cinereous brown; rump, belly, and greater 

 portion of the secondary quills, white: legs, and basal 

 half of both mandibles, red. 



* Probably, in very old birds, this white edging disappears. 



