THE SPOTTED REDSHANK. 405 



746. TOTANUS FUSCUS. 

 THE SPOTTED REDSHANK. 



Scolopax fusca, Linn. Si/*t. Nat. i. p. 243. Totanus fuscus, ,/m/. B. Ind. ii. 

 ]>. 70J; HHHH; *$'. F. i. p. J4S ; Drewr, liinl* Kui: viii. p. 105, pi, ; Cod-burn. 

 S. F. iv. p. .">(); Ztow'rf <rf OM<. Ow. C7*/we, p. 403; Hutu. ,y 7^,-. >V. F. vi. 

 p. 4(5:;; /////>., S. F. viii. p. 113; Leyye, Birch Ceylon, p. 848; Oates, S. F. x. 

 p. 241. 



Description. Winter plumage. Forehead, crown, nape, lores, hind neck 

 and back ashy grey ; a patch over the lores white ; sides of the face ashy 

 grey streaked with white; wing-coverts, scapulars and tertiaries ashy 

 brown, the feathers more or less margined with white, the greater coverts 

 with conspicuous white marks along their edges, the tertiaries with alter- 

 nating white and dark brown marks; primaries dark brown, the inner webs 

 much marked with white ; secondaries white barred with brown ; rump 

 pure white ; upper tail-coverts beautifully barred with black and white ; 

 tail ashy brown, banded with wavy incomplete bars of white and dark 

 brown ; the whole lower plumage, axillaries and under wing-coverts white, 

 the fore neck and sides of the neck mottled with dusky. 



In summer the head, neck and underparts become sooty black ; and the 

 back, scapulars, tertiaries and wing-coverts are also black, marked with 

 white on the edges of the feathers. 



Bill very dark brown, the basal half of the lower mandible dusky red ; 

 iris brown ; legs and toes orange-red ; claws black. 



Length 13 inches, tail 2'7, wing 6*7, tarsus 2*2, bill from gape 2*6. The 

 female is of the same size. 



This species is not only much larger than the last, but it also wants the 

 conspicuous white secondaries. 



The Spotted Redshank is not very abundant, but it is no doubt generally 

 distributed over the Province in small numbers. I observed it to be 

 fairly common in the flat parts of Southern Pegu, and Mr. Davison pro- 

 cured it at the mouth of the Sittang river. It does not appear to have 

 been obtained by any one else in the Province. 



It has as wide a range as many of the other Waders, being found 

 throughout Europe and in Africa as far south as the Cape of Good Hope. 

 It occurs throughout Asia as far east as China and Cochin China, but it 

 apparently docs not range south into the Malay peninsula and archipelago. 

 In summer it retires to the extreme north of Europe and Asia to breed. 



In habits this species does not appear to differ from the preceding. 



