390 OYSTERCATCHER AND TURNSTONE 



conical beak, relatively short yellow legs, and the alternate bands of black and white 

 on the lower back and rump. The sexes are alike, and there is a marked seasonal 

 change of coloration. (PI. 122.) Length 8 in. [203-20 mm.]. The adult, in nuptial 

 dress, has the top and sides of the head white, relieved by a narrow line of black 

 running forward from the eye to the beak, and black striations on the crown. Below 

 the eye is a V-shaped band of black, the ends of the loop turned forwards to enclose 

 a white loral patch, while the white of the top of the head is continued backwards 

 to form a half-collar across the hind-neck. The centre of the interscapular area is 

 chestnut-red, bounded on either side by a V-shaped band of black; this band is 

 succeeded by a wide semicircular loop of chestnut-red formed by the anterior 

 scapular feathers, the hinder scapulars being black and forming a crescentic band of 

 black behind the red band just referred to. The lower back is white, the rump 

 black, the upper tail-coverts white, and the middle tail feathers black. The rest 

 of the tail feathers are dark grey, with white bases and white tips : the white of the 

 base of the feathers increase in area from within outwards, the outermost being 

 almost wholly white. The outer marginal wing-coverts are dark brown, the inner- 

 most white. The minor coverts are chestnut, the lowermost row variegated by 

 patches of black. The median coverts are chestnut, blotched with black, while 

 the major series are black, tipped white. The remiges are dark ash-grey, the 

 primaries have white shafts, and the innermost a patch of white at the base, forming, 

 with the tips of the major coverts of the secondaries, a white bar across the wing. 

 The throat is white ; below this is a broad black gorget extending to the fore-breast, 

 and sending a band upwards on to the side of the neck in front of the white half- 

 collar. The rest of the under parts are white. The beak is black, the iris dark 

 brown, the legs and toes orange-red. The female is somewhat duller than the male. 

 After the autumn moult the head and upper parts are dark brown, striated on the 

 crown with slate-black. The sides of the face are ash-brown, with an indistinct 

 patch of white below the eye. The mantle is dark blackish brown, the feathers 

 thereof having narrow whitish brown margins. The wing-coverts are dark brown 

 with paler margins, while the gorget on the throat is dark blackish brown. The 

 juvenile plumage has the crown and mantle pale brown, the crown heavily striated 

 with dark brown, while the feathers of the mantle and wing-coverts have ochreous 

 margins. The inner primaries are white-tipped. The lower back is alternately 

 banded black and white, as is the adult, and the tail is buff-tipped, while the gorget 

 is of a dull brownish black. The first autumn dress differs from the juvenile plumage 

 in being somewhat darker, and having rufous margins to the minor coverts. The 



