TURNSTONE. 55 



olive colour; some much and others only a little spotted, 

 principally about the obtuse end, with dark grey, olive brown, 

 and black, or reddish brown of two shades. They are cleverly 

 concealed. 



The bird has an elegant piebald appearance, but in winter 

 the colours are more dull. They vary very much in plumage 

 according to age and the season of the year, intermediate 

 shades occurring in each gradation of change. In the 

 spring they are very beautiful, but in August begin to lose 

 their brilliancy. Male; weight, rather more than four ounces; 

 length, nine inches and a little over; bill, thick at the base, 

 black, strong, and turned a little upwards. The upper mandible 

 is rather longer that the lower one. Iris, dark brown; below 

 it is a black patch, which curves upwards to the base of the 

 lower bill, encircling a white spot at the base of the upper 

 one; backwards it goes downwards to meet another which 

 originates at the base of the lower bill; behind the eye is 

 a small black streak or mark ; over the eye is white. Forehead, 

 black, reaching to the eye on each side in the line aforesaid; 

 crown, white, with black feather shafts; neck on the back, 

 white, on the sides rich black; nape, white; chin, white. 

 Throat, rich black, from which a black collar extends backwards 

 to the back of the neck, where that from each side meets. 

 Breast above, rich black, partly separated from the black of 

 the throat by a white patch or spot, below white; back above, 

 black, intermixed with red rust-coloured feathering, forming 

 irregular rows; below white, with a bar of black over the 

 tail coverts. 



The wings have the first quill feather a little longer than 

 the second, and the longest; underneath they are white; the 

 axillary plume white; greater wing coverts, black, edged with 

 red or dark brown orange, and tipped with white, but the 

 whole plumage varies much with the season of the year. In 

 like manner the lesser wing coverts are dusky and dark red, 

 the edges pale; primaries, greyish black, the shafts white at 

 the base; secondaries with broad white tips, forming a distinct 

 bar across the wings; tertiaries, long, and nearly black, tipped 

 and spotted with red, or dark brownish orange. Tail, at the 

 base, white, the remainder greyish black, tipped with white, 

 with the exception of the two middle feathers; the outer 

 feather is white; upper tail coverts, white. Legs and toes, 

 rich orange red; claws, black, 'the hind ,toe articulated on 

 the inner surface of the tarsus, and directed inwards towards 



