GREY PHALAROPE. 101 



greater wing-coverts and secondaries lead-grey, with broad 

 ends of white ; tertials also lead-grey, margined wUh 

 orange-yellow ; quill and tail-feathers almost black ; the 

 front and sides of the neck, the breast, and all the under 

 surface of the body uniform reddish chestnut, or bay ; 

 under surface of tail-feathers ash grey ; legs, toes, and 

 their lobed membranes yellow; the claws black. 



When changing in autumn to the plumage of winter, 

 the bay under-colour is lost by degrees; the first grey 

 feathers that appear are the scapulars, and from thence 

 down the sides of the back ; afterwards those of the inter- 

 scapular space, and the centre of the back below ; the 

 orange-coloured margins of the tertials becoming paler. 



In winter the beak is black ; around its base, and on 

 the top of the head, white ; irides dark brown ; around 

 the eye dusky black ; a patch of the same colour on the 

 ear-coverts and on the occiput; back of the neck, sca- 

 pulars, upper wing-coverts, and all the back, uniform 

 pearl-grey ; greater coverts, secondaries, and tertials, lead- 

 grey, margined with white ; primaries as in summer ; tail- 

 feathers ash-grey, margined with white ; chin, neck in 

 front, breast, and all the under surface of the body pure 

 white, except a small patch of pearl-grey before the point 

 of the wings, but not extending round the front ; legs, 

 toes, and membranes yellowish brown ; the claws black. 



Specimens vary considerably in size; the females are 

 the largest, and measure about eight inches and a quarter 

 in their whole length ; the males usually half an inch less ; 

 from the carpal joint to the end of the wing four inches 

 and three-quarters. 



