376 BIRDS OF BRITISH BURMAH. 



Genus STREPSILAS, Illig. 



723. STREPSILAS INTERPRET 



THE TURNSTONE. 



Tringa interpres, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 248. Strepsilas interpres, Jerd. B. 2nd. 

 ii. p. 656 ; Salvad. Ucc. Born. p. 320 ; Bl. B. Burm. p. 154 ; Dresser, Birds Eur. 

 vii. p. 555, pi. ; Hume, S. F. iv. p. 464 ; David et Oust. Ois. Cliine, p. 433 ; 

 Hume, S. F. viii. p. 112 ; Legge, Birds Ceylon, p. 900 ; Oates, S. F. x. p. 238. 

 Cinclus interpres, Hume, 8. F. i. p. 233, ii. p. 292. 



Description. Male in summer. Crown of the head white streaked with 

 black ; a broad mandibular stripe black ; another black stripe from the 

 central part of the forehead to the eye, passing down in front, widening and 

 spreading out under the eye and extending to the end of the mandibular 

 stripe ; remainder of the head white ; fore neck and sides of the breast 

 black, extending upwards in two broad bands, one on either side the neck 

 and nearly meeting behind the neck ; hind neck white ; a broad band 

 down the back chestnut ; sides of the back black ; scapulars mingled black 

 and chestnut, some of the lower feathers pure white; primaries dark 

 brown, the shafts white, and some of the later quills tipped with white ; 

 secondaries chiefly white ; - tertiaries brown, broadly tipped and edged with 

 chestnut ; wing- coverts brown, edged paler, the greater series broadly 

 edged with pure white; rump and the longer tail-coverts white, the 

 shorter feathers black ; tail white at base, brown elsewhere, and all but the 

 central feathers tipped with white ; centre of the breast, abdomen, vent, 

 sides of the body, axillaries, under wing- and tail- coverts pure white ; 

 feathers covering the thighs brown. 



The female in summer has the head and nape much darker, and the 

 chestnut and black markings are less developed than in the male. 



Male and female in winter. The feathers of the black portions of the 

 plumage become fringed with white or brown and the chestnut becomes 

 very dull.* 



Young birds have the whole head, the whole upper plumage and the 

 breast brown ; the feathers of the head and body edged with yellowish 

 white, those of the wings with rufous ; chin, throat and lower plumage 

 white. 



Bill black ; iris deep brown ; legs orange-yellow (Jerdon) ; legs orange- 

 red (Dresser) ; legs in some orange-yellow, in others orange-red (Hume). 



Length 9 inches, tail 2'6, wing 6, tarsus 1, bill from gape 1. The 

 female is of the same size. 



The Turnstone is said by Mr. Blyth to occur in Arrakan, and it will no 



