COMMON SANDPIPER. 165 



of space, as rendered expedient by their large size in pro- 

 portion to that of the bird. The young are hatched in 

 about fourteen days, and leave the nest almost immediately. 

 They quickly learn to hide themselves in the nearest covert, 

 and in about a month are able to shift for themselves. 



The plumage in this species is of a silky texture. Male; 

 weight, about two ounces; length, seven inches and a half, 

 to seven and three quarters; bill, yellowish brown, or dusky 

 greenish grey at the base, dark brown towards the tip. Iris, 

 slender, and dusky brown, paler towards the base; a brown 

 streak runs to it from the base of the bill, and above it, 

 reaching also over and behind the eye, is a light-coloured 

 one. Head on the sides and on the crown, neck on the 

 back and nape, greenish brown, clouded with bluish grey and 

 dull yellowish, and delicately marked with a dusky greenish 

 black stripe along the centre, and along the shaft of each 

 feather. Chin and throat, white; throat on the sides, and 

 breast on the upper part, pale greenish, with dusky black 

 streaks; the lower white. Back, greenish brown, each feather 

 with a darker dusky greenish black stripe across its centre 

 and along the shaft, and further varied with fine transverse 

 zigzag lines of dark brown, giving the bird an elegantly 

 mottled appearance. 



The wings, which are very long, have the first feather the 

 longest; their extent of expanse is from one foot two inches 

 to one foot two inches and a half; greater wing coverts, 

 tipped with white. The lesser wing coverts have in summer 

 a black border near the tip of each feather, which appears 

 to be wanting in the winter plumage. Primaries, nearly 

 black, each, except the first one or two, with a greyish white 

 patch on the centre of the inner web. The tail has the 

 four centre feathers dusky greenish brown, with a dusky 

 greenish black stripe across the centre and along the shaft 

 line of each; the four outer feathers on each side, there 

 being twelve in all, tipped with white; and the two outer- 

 most on each side with the outer web dull white, or pale 

 brown, barred with greenish black. The whole tail is thus 

 barred; the middle feathers are the longest, and the others 

 gradually shortened. Upper tail coverts, also greenish brown, 

 with the like dusky greenish black streaks along the shafts 

 and across; under tail coverts, white. Legs and toes, pale 

 bluish green or yellowish grey, with transparent brown at 

 the joints; the latter are webbed to the first joint, and have 



