BROAD-BILLED SANDPIPER. 69 



with rufous edges ; the two middle tail-feathers nearly 

 black, longer than the others, pointed and margined with 

 rufous ; the others ash grey, margined with buff colour ; 

 chin nearly white, with minute dark specks ; sides and^^ 

 front of the neck, and the upper part of the breast greyish 

 white, varied with black spots and tinged with buffy red ; 

 belly, vent, and under tail-coverts, white ; legs, toes, and 

 claws, greenish black. The whole length of the adult birds 

 is six inches and three-eighths; wing, from the carpal joint 

 to the end of the first, which is the longest feather, three 

 inches and seven-eighths ; length of the tarsus five-eighths. 

 The young bird so closely resembles the parent in its 

 plumage at this season, that it is unnecessary to describe 

 it. 



The example figured by Mr. Gould in his Birds of Eu- 

 rope, was killed in autumn, and has the margins of the fea- 

 thers on the upper surface of the body almost white. 



By the kindness of Mr. Bartlett I possess a specimen 

 of this bird in its winter plumage which closely resem- 

 bles that of our Dunlin at the same season. The beak is 

 dark brown, almost black ; from the base of the beak to 

 the eye a brown streak, over that a broad one of white ; 

 top of the head, nape, back, all the wing-coverts and ter- 

 tials ash grey, the centre of each feather darker and the 

 margin lighter ; primaries black ; chin, neck in front, and 

 all the under surface, pure white ; legs blackish brown. 

 The bird in this state of plumage is well figured in Gray 

 and Mitchell's Genera of Birds. 



