420 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. 



The winter plumage is as follows : The beak is 

 nearly black; the irides dark brown; the space 

 between the beak and the eye darkish, over this 

 and over the eye a streak of white ; the top of the 

 head darkish ash-grey, each feather margined with 

 white ; the back of the neck ash-grey, slightly 

 streaked with white ; the back, scapulars and tertials 

 darkish ash-grey, each feather narrowly margined 

 with white ; wing-coverts paler ash-grey, with 

 broader white margins ; primary quills dusky, almost 

 black, with white shafts; rump and tail-coverts 

 white (in this it differs from the Purre or Dunlin) ; 

 tail-feathers ash-grey, margined with white; chin 

 white ; throat white in front, streaked on the sides 

 with ash-grey; the breast is pale ash-grey; the 

 rest of the under parts white, the thigh only 

 feathered about half-way down ; the legs and toes 

 greenish brown ; the claws black. 



The change from this to the summer plumage is 

 something like that of the Bartailed Godwit before 

 mentioned. " The head and neck all round " then 

 become " reddish chesnut, slightly varied with small 

 streaks of black and white ; the back, scapulars, 

 small wing- co verts and tertials nearly black, each 

 feather edged with reddish chesnut; the greater 

 wing-coverts ash-brown, edged with greyish white ; 

 primary and secondary quill-feathers nearly black, 

 with white shafts ; breast and belly reddish chesnut, 

 indistinctly barred transversely with lines of black ; 



