SANDPIPERS 65 



water, and comparatively long beaks. In breeding plumage 

 the crown and nape are streaked black on pale chestnut, and 

 fche mantle black with pale chestnut margins. Upper tail- 

 coverts dark brown, rump ash-brown. Tail ash-grey with 

 central feathers dark brown. Wing-coverts mostly ash-grey, 

 and the quills brownish-black with a white bar on the 

 secondaries. Under-parts white, except for the black streaks 

 on the forebreast, and the broad black of the lower breast. 

 Legs black. After the autumn moult the upper-parts mostly 

 ash-brown, more or less screaked with dark grey, and the under- 

 parts white. 



Nest. High-lying marshes or moorland, or low-lying rough 

 pasture or marsh by the sea. A scrape in the ground, among 

 coarse grass, heather, or other herbage, lined with grasses. 



Eggs. Usually 4. Pear-shaped. From greenish to yellowish 

 or yellow-brown blotched, spotted, and streaked with dark 

 brown, and underlying ash. Av. size, l'34x'95 in. Laying 

 begins in May. Probably one brood only. 



130. Purple-sandpiper [Erolia maritima maritima (Briin- 

 nich) ; Tringa maritima Gmelin]. A winter visitor and bird 

 of passage to our coasts. 



Bird. Length 8J in. See No. 129. Distinguished from the 

 preceding species by the short yellow legs and darker plumage. 

 In the breeding plumage the upper-parts are mostly black 

 glossed purple, with pale rufous or buff margins on the 

 mantle. Secondaries show much white. Central tail-feathers 

 black glossed purple, the rest grey with narrow white margins 

 on the outermost. Under-parts whitish obscured by dark 

 brown streaks on the neck, breast, flanks, and under tail- 

 coverts. After the autumn moult the feathers of the upper- 

 parts are margined with dark grey. 



131. Knot [Erolia canutus (Linnaeus) ; Tringa canutus 

 (Linnaeus)]. Named after its hoarse grunting note : Knot or 

 Knut. Winter visitor to our coasts and bird of passage. 

 Some non-breeding birds remain through summer. 



Bird. Length 10 in. See No. 129. A marked difference 

 between the breeding and winter plumage. Easily dis- 

 tinguished in breeding dress from the two preceding species 

 by the rich bay or reddish-brown of the under-parts, head, and 

 neck ; the crown and hind-neck being, however, heavily 

 streaked with black. Back black with bay margins. Wing- 

 coverts mostly ash-brown margined chiefly with white. After 

 the autumn moult the under-parts lose the bay and become 

 white with greyish streaks. The upper-parts ash-grey with 

 darker streaks. Upper tail-coverts, which in summer show 

 more or less bay with white and some black, are now white 



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