TEMMINCK'S STINT. 77 



This species is seen on its passage in spring and autumn 

 in Germany and Holland ; M. Vieillot reports the same of 

 it in France. M. Schinz, in his Fauna Helvetica, say? 

 it is occasionally obtained, in spring and autumn, on the 

 borders of rivers and lakes in Switzerland. At Genoa, and 

 in Italy, it is sometimes seen in May, but not every year. 

 Mr. Gould says it visits North Africa; and Mr. Strickland 

 saw it at Smyrna in winter. It has been found in North- 

 Western India. Mr. Gould mentions that specimens have 

 been received here from a high range on the Himalaya ; 

 B. Hodgson, Esq. has obtained it in Nepaul ; Mr. Blyth 

 finds it about Calcutta, and Colonel Sykes includes it 

 in his Catalogue of the Birds of the Dukhun ; M. Tem- 

 minck says that examples from Timor and the islands 

 of the Indian Archipelago are identical with those of 

 Europe. 



An adult bird, killed at a pond side in Essex, in the 

 month of May, and lent me by Mr. Henry Doubleday, has 

 the beak dull black ; the irides dark brown ; feathers of 

 the head and neck pale brown, speckled with dark brown ; 

 feathers of the scapulars and back, some ash brown, others 

 black with rufous margins ; wing-coverts nearly uniform 

 ash-brown ; primaries dusky brown, the shaft of the first 

 quill -feather whiter than those of the others ; secondaries 

 dusky, but tipped with white ; tertials uniform dusky 

 brown; tail-coverts dusky brown, those nearest the tail- 

 feathers almost black; tail cuneiform, or somewhat gra- 

 duated, the central pair of feathers the longest, the darkest 

 in colour, and pointed ; the next feather on each outside 

 ash brown, the next ash grey, the three outside feathers on 

 each side white, tinged with light ash grey on the narrow 

 outer webs only, the outside feather on each side being the 

 shortest ; the chin white ; sides of the neck grey ; the 

 neck in front pale brown, spotted with dusky brown, and 



