272 ALLEN'S NATURALIST'S LIBRARY. 



plumes, and looking like an ordinary Tattler or Sandpiper. 

 Ashy-brown above, the feathers fringed with whitish, the centres 

 of which are dusky-brown ; lesser and median wing-coverts like 

 the back ; the greater coverts blackish with a slight greenish- 

 gloss, and broadly tipped with white ; bastard-wing and prim- 

 ary-coverts blackish ; quills brown, with white shafts, the 

 outer webs and tips of the feathers blackish, the secondaries 

 white at the base of the inner webs, and fringed with white at 

 their ends ; the innermost secondaries browner, like the scapu- 

 lars ; lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts a little darker 

 brown than the rest of the back, with darker brown centres to 

 the feathers ; tail-feathers dark brown, the tips and the shafts 

 white; crown of head and neck light brown, with dark 

 centres to the feathers ; lores and cheeks ashy-white ; ear- 

 coverts and neck light brown with dusky streaks ; under surface 

 of body white, the lower throat and chest mottled, with ashy 

 bases to the feathers, and the sides of the body marked in a 

 similar manner; axillaries and under wing-coverts white, the 

 lower primary-coverts and quill-lining ashy-grey; bill dark 

 brown, paler at the gape ; feet yellowish-brown ; iris dark 

 brown. Total length, 12 inches; oilmen, 1-3; wing, 7-4; 

 tail, 2 '6; tarsus, r8. 



Adult Female in Winter Plumage. Similar to the male, but much 

 smaller. Total length, 10*5 inches; culmen, 1*2; wing, 6*1 ; 

 tail, 2-15; tarsus, 1-55. 



Adult Female in Summer Plumage. Much darker than in winter, 

 the feathers of the upper surface being blackish with a purplish 

 gloss, but no ornamental feathers present, as in the male. 

 Otherwise the summer plumage of the female, as regards the 

 colour of the body, shows a strong similarity to that of the 

 male. 



Young Birds. Resemble the winter plumage of the male, but 

 are much more tawny-rufous, and have sandy-buff or whitish 

 margins to the feathers of the upper surface ; hind-neck more 

 ashy than the back ; sides of face, lower throat, and fore-neck 

 pale cinnamon-buff, the chin whiter ; chest and sides of body 

 ashy-grey, marked with cinnamon-buff, the rest of the under-, 

 parts white. Total wing, 7 -0-7 '3 inches. 



