146 SPOTTED KEDSHANK. 



above the knee for about an inch and a half, are as the toes, 

 dark transparent red in summer, in winter red. Claws, black. 



The female is rather larger than the male. 



In the young of the year the bill is brownish black, the 

 base of the under mandible red; between it and the eye is a 

 patch of white, and below it is another of brown. The head 

 on the sides is mottled with dusky and white in streaks, on 

 the crown as is the neck on the back, tinged with olive 

 brown, generally without spots, but sometimes with a few 

 white edges to the feathers; nape, greyish brown, with pale 

 rusty streaks and spots; chin, white; throat, greyish, with paler 

 rusty streaks or spots. The breast is clouded and spotted or 

 crossed with grey, dusky, and rufous, on a dull white ground; 

 the back above is tinged with olive brown, the margins of 

 the feathers having small triangular spots of white; below it 

 is white. Greater and lesser wing coverts, deep brown, with 

 large triangular-shaped spots of white, or the dark colour may 

 be considered as forming the spots; of the primaries, the first 

 feather has the shaft white, the others brown; the inner webs 

 of the first five are mottled toward the base with grey and 

 dusky, which colouring terminates in triangular-shaped spots 

 towards the centre and tips; secondaries, dusky, the borders 

 of the feathers darkest, and reflected with pale green and 

 purple, and these also still more mottled with grey and 

 dusky; tertiaries, the same, but much darker. Tail feathers, 

 dusky black with black shafts, and darkest towards their 

 edges, barred with greyish white; it is of a double wedge- 

 shape, the middle and outer feathers being the longest; upper 

 tail coverts, white barred with dusky; under tail coverts, dull 

 white, spotted and barred with pale grey, dusky, and rufous. 

 The legs and toes, yellowish orange red, the colour varying 

 with age and season. Claws, black. 



