SCOLOPACHXE. 427 



with dark brown ; the hack and wing-coverts nearly 

 uniform dusky brown, with narrow lighter coloured 

 margins." A young bird of the year killed in the 

 autumn has " the head, neck and upper part of the 

 back ash-grey; wing-coverts, scapulars and lower 

 part of the back ash-brown, each feather ending with 

 a half-circle of black and a minute terminal line of 

 white ; primaries dusky black ; secondaries the 

 same, but tipped with white ; central tail-feathers 

 elongated, pointed, ash-brown; outside feathers 

 white ; chin, neck in front, breast and all the under 

 parts white." These descriptions are all taken from 

 Yarrell, and describe the bird at the various times 

 of year and ages at which it is usually taken in 

 England. 



PUERE or DUNLIN, Tringa variabilis. This little 

 Sandpiper is extremely numerous on our coast, and 

 in the winter, when the greatest numbers are con- 

 gregated, may be seen running about on the mud in 

 search of food or flying in flocks of hundreds, or 

 even thousands, sometimes nearly invisible against a 

 dull wintry sky, and at others a glistening bright 

 white as the whole flock at once makes a sudden turn, 

 showing their pure white under parts. They 

 generally feed very near the waters on the soft 

 mud, and at such times it is very amusing to watch 

 a flock of them (as they often allow a very close 

 approach) probing the mud with their beaks for 

 worms or running close to the sea and picking up 



