74 



GRALLATORES. TOTANUS. SANDPIPER. 



alarm amongst all other birds near at hand, and thereby of- 

 Food. ten disappoints the shooter in his expectation of sport. Its 

 food is the same as the rest of its immediate tribe. 



General 

 descrip- 

 tion. 



Adult bird 

 in winter 

 plumage. 



Summer 

 plumage. 



Young of 

 the year. 



PLATE 16. Fig. 1. represents the Redshank in the winter 

 plumage, and of the natural size. 



Head, back part of the neck, back and scapulars, of an 

 uniform pale hair-brown, tinged with grey, and glossed 

 with olive- green. Wing-coverts ash-grey, margined with 

 white. Throat and under part of the neck white, finely 

 streaked with ash-grey. Breast white, with small ob- 

 long spots of deep hair-brown. The flanks and under 

 tail-coverts white, with transverse bars of hair-brown. 

 Abdomen and vent pure white. Lower part of the 

 back white. Upper tail-coverts and tail white, barred 

 with deep hair-brown. The base of the bill brick-red > 

 with the tip brownish-black. Legs orange-red. 



In the summer plumage, or nuptial dress, a white streak 

 extends from the base of the bill over the eye. The 

 head, neck, and the whole of the under parts are white, 

 with oblong spots of dark hair-brown. Chin white, with 

 a few small specks of hair-brown. Back and scapulars 

 pale hair-brown, with an olivaceous gloss, and barred 

 with brownish-black, occupying the centres of the fea- 

 thers. Lesser wing-coverts plain hair-brown, glossed 

 with olive. The greater coverts and tertials hair-brown, 

 margined with white, and transversely barred with black- 

 ish-brown. Upper tail-coverts and tail barred black and 

 white. Bill and legs as in the winter dress. 



The young of the year, previous to the assumption of the 

 winter plumage, have a large patch of hair-brown be- 

 tween the bill and eyes. The eyebrows are white. The 

 nape and back part of the neck ash-grey. The throat 

 and under side of the neck white, with fine striae of ash- 

 grey. The sides of the breast marbled with wood-brown. 

 The belly, abdomen, and vent, pure white. The back, 



