188 



BRITISH BIRDS. 



subspecifically distinct, under the name of Tringa alpina americana. I 

 cannot discern any difference of colour that is not common to various 

 localities. There is a slight difference of size, as the following table of 

 measurements shows : 



Length of wing. Length of culrnen. 



in. in. in. in. 



4-8 to 4-3 1-5 to 1-2 



. 4-7 to 4-1 1-5 to 1-2 



4-9 to 4-4 1-7 to 1-3 



4-9 to 4-4 1-7 to 1-4 



Britain 



Continental Europe . 



Asia 



America 



All that can be said is that, on an average, European examples are not 

 quite so large as those from the rest of the world. Some ornithologists 

 think that we have two races of Dunlins in England a small bright- 

 coloured race and a larger duller-coloured one ; but it has not been proved 

 that the difference is not one of age or individual variation. 



LITTLE STINTS. 



