388 BIRDS OP BRITISH BURMAH. 



whitish, and the shafts of the laterals white ; lesser wing-coverts almost 

 uniform blackish brown ; median and greater coverts dark brown, most 

 of the feathers edged with white ; quills dark brown, the shaft of the first 

 primary whitish, those of the others hair-brown ; tertiaries paler brown 

 tinged with ashy ; cheeks, ear-coverts and sides of the neck whitish 

 streaked with brown ; the whole lower plumage and axillaries white, the 

 sides of the breast streaked with brown, a few streaks extending to the 

 middle of the breast ; under wing-coverts next the margin dark brown 

 edged with white, the others pure white. 



In summer the superciliary streaks are marked with brownish ; the lores 

 are nearly black ; the ear-coverts dark brown ; the throat, breast and neck 

 all round boldly streaked with brown with a tinge of rufous ; the crown 

 and forehead nearly black, some of the lateral feathers edged with 

 rufous or white ; the back, rump, upper tail-coverts, scapulars and 

 tertiaries black, each feather fringed with rufous or white, or an inter- 

 mixture of the two ; the central tail-feathers nearly black, edged on the 

 outer web with rufous ; the wings and their coverts much the same as in 

 winter; abdomen and lower plumage white, the sides of the body spotted 

 with brown. 



Iris dark brown ; bill brown, tinged with olive ; legs olive-brown ; claws 

 horny brown. 



Length 6*75 inches, tail 1*5, wing 4*2, tarsus '9., bill from gape 1*18. 

 The bill is longer than the head, straight except at the tip, where it is 

 slightly curved downwards, and it is very stout throughout. 



An allied species (L. sibirica) inhabits China and Eastern Siberia; it 

 differs in having the crown and entire upper parts in summer plumage 

 margined with bright rufous. In winter the two species appear to be un- 

 distinguishable. The only specimen of this type of Sandpiper which I ever 

 shot in Burmah is in winter plumage ; but it agrees so well with Indian 

 examples of L. platyrhyncha that I am disposed to consider it of this species. 

 L. sibirica is quite as likely, however, to occur in British Burmah. 



Mr. Blyth records this Sandpiper from Arrakan ; I procured it near 

 the town of Pegu ; and Dr. Armstrong found it abundant in the Irrawaddy 

 Delta, and he also met with it at Amherst in Tenasserim. It will there- 

 fore in all probability be found common along the entire sea-coast and all 

 the tidal rivers of the Province in the winter. 



It is spread, according to season, over the whole of Europe, North 

 Africa and Asia, extending down the Malay peninsula into the islands of 

 the Archipelago. The range of this and the allied species L. sibirica in 

 Asia is not known with certainty, and must perhaps always remain in 

 doubt with regard to those countries where these birds are found only 

 in winter plumage, for at this season the two species, as before remarked, 

 would appear to be undistinguishable. 



