SANDERLING. 59 



their bills in the soft sand; and also on shrimps, sandhoppers, 

 and other Crustacea and minute shell-fish, and other 'treasures 

 of the deep;' with which they swallow 'a little gravel. They 

 become very fat, and are considered fine eating. 



The note is only a 'pit, pit.' 



The nest is said to be placed in marshy places, and formed 

 in a rude manner of grass. 



The eggs are described as being four in number, of a 

 dusky colour spotted with black. 



Male; weight, about two ounces; length, about eight inches; 

 bill, black between it and the eye is a dusky space, which 

 in winter becomes a small black spot; the feathers at the 

 base of the beak 'white. Iris, brown ; over it is a buff-coloured 

 streak, white in winter; the head on the sides, white, spotted 

 with dusky and rufous; the crown, neck on the back, and 

 nape, have the feathers black in the centre, edged with pale 

 rufous, in some white; on the sides the neck is covered with 

 small spots of rufous and black on a white ground, the shafts 

 also of these feathers being blackish brown; on the back 

 and the nape, much the same: in winter, all these back parts 

 are grey with dusky shafts to the feathers. Chin, throat, and 

 upper part of the breast, white or greyish white, spotted more 

 or less with rufous and black in winter all white; breast 

 below, white. The back has the feathers black edged with 

 rufous, on the lower part dusky, barred with cinereous and 

 with rufous edges to the feathers; in winter white on the 

 sides. 



The wings have the first quill feather a little longer than 

 the second, and the longest in the wing underneath they are 

 white; the axillary plume white. Greater and lesser wing 

 coverts, dusky, with the centres of the feathers darkest: the 

 former, in winter, are broadly tipped with white, forming a 

 bar across the wing. Primaries, brownish black on the outer 

 web, greyish white on the inner, the shafts white; secondaries, 

 blackish brown, with broad white tips, forming a bar across 

 the wings; tertiaries, also blackish brown edged with pale 

 rufous. Tail, cuneated, greyish white, the middle feathers 

 greyish black margined with white, and rather pointed; upper 

 tail coverts, dusky. Legs and toes, bluish black; claws, black. 

 The toes underneath are flattened. 



The female is rather larger than the male. 



'In the first or nestling plumage, the forehead, eye streak, 

 cheeks, and throat, are white. At the lower part of the neck 



