CURLEW SANDPIPER. 51 



carpal joint to the end of the first feather, which is the 

 longest, five inches. 



In autumn the under surface of the body of an adult bird 

 is a mixture of white and pale red in patches, and the dark 

 feathers on the back and wing-coverts are mixed with some 

 new feathers which are ash grey ; the quill-feathers dusky. 



Young birds of the year in their first autumn have the 

 neck ash grey ; the feathers of the back, scapulars, wing- 

 coverts and tertials dark brown, margined with reddish 

 buff colour, which, later in the season as winter approaches, 

 change slowly to ash colour, with buffy white, and ulti- 

 mately with pure white edges ; under surface of the body 

 white tinged with red, becoming afterwards pure white. 



Adult birds in their winter plumage have the beak 

 brownish black ; irides dark brown ; lore and ear-coverts 

 ash brown, bounded above with a streak of white; the 

 cheeks also white ; top of the head and back of the neck 

 ash brown, streaked and spotted with darker brown ; back, 

 scapulars, wing-coverts and tertials ash brown, margined 

 with white ; primary quill-feathers dusky black with white 

 shafts ; secondaries ash brown edged with white ; rump 

 and upper tail-coverts white ; tail-feathers ash grey, edged 

 with white ; chin, breast, and all the under surface of the 

 body pure white ; axillary plume pure white ; legs and 

 toes greenish brown, the claws black. 



Average length of the beak one inch and a half; of the 

 leg with the bare part above the joint one inch and three 

 quarters. In the adult Dunlin the relative length of the 

 same parts are, beak, one inch and a quarter ; leg, one inch 

 and three eighths, but the white rump and upper tail- 

 coverts distinguish the Curlew Sandpiper from the Dunlin 

 at all ages and seasons. 



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