TEMMINCK'S STINT. 73 



teenths of an inch ; from the carpal joint to the end of the 

 first quill-feather, which is the longest in the wing, three 

 inches and five-eighths; length of the tarsus eleven-six- 

 teenths, the bare part above half the length of the tarsus. 



A specimen killed earlier in the season, had not acquired 

 the rufous margins to the dark coloured feathers of the 

 back and scapulars. 



A young bird of the year, killed in the plumage of its 

 first autumn, has the beak black; irides dark brown; 

 head, neck, and upper part of the back, ash grey ; wing- 

 coverts, scapulars, and lower part of the back, ash brown, 

 each feather ending with a half circle of black, and a 

 minute terminal line of white ; primaries dusky black ; 

 secondaries the same, but tipped with white ; tertials ash 

 brown, with dark shafts, and tipped with white; central 

 tail-feathers elongated, pointed, ash brown, outside feathers 

 white ; chin, neck in front, breast, and all the under sur- 

 face pure white. 



An adult bird, killed in October, has the head and neck 

 ash grey, varied with dark brown ; the back and wing- 

 coverts nearly uniform dusky brown, with narrow lighter- 

 coloured margins. 



The American Stint, the Tringa pusilla of Linneus and 

 Wilson, is perfectly distinct from either of our British spe- 

 cies. It accords most nearly with Temminck's Stint in 

 size and measurements, but goes through the seasonal 

 changes of plumage peculiar to T. minuta, and has the out- 

 side tail-feathers ash colour. While penning this obser- 

 vation, I have specimens of the American Stint, as well as 

 several of both our species, before me. 



The representations of Temminck's Stint here given, 

 were taken from an adult bird in spring, and a young bird 

 in autumn. 



