TOTANINyE. TOTANUS. 93 



The Tattlers are birds of small or moderate size, which 

 frequent the shores of the sea, lakes, marshes, and rivers ; 

 feed upon worms, insects, Crustacea, and mollusca ; have a 

 rapid, light, rather wavering flight, and in their habits gene- 

 rally resemble the Longshanks, being equally remarkable 

 for their timidity, vociferousness, and the balancing motion 

 of their bodies. They are met with in all parts of the world. 

 Four species occur in Britain. 



197. TOTANUS FUSCUS. DUSKY REDSHANK TATTLER. 



Adult with the basal half of the bill red, the other half 

 brownish-black, the feet orange-red; the secondary quills 

 black, barred with white. In winter, the upper part of the 

 head and hind-neck brownish-grey ; the fore part of the back 

 greyish-brown, streaked with dusky, its hind part white ; the 

 tail and its coverts barred with white and dusky ; the cheeks 

 and fore-neck greyish-white, faintly streaked with grey, the 

 rest of the lower parts white. In summer, the head, neck, 

 and lower parts, greyish-black, the feathers slightly edged 

 with Whitish ; those of the fore part of the back, and the 

 wing-coverts, blackish-brown, marginally spotted with black 

 and white ; the other parts as in winter. Young with the 

 base of the upper mandible dusky, the feet orange, the upper 

 parts blackish-brown, the feathers edged with triangular white, 

 spots, the hind part of the back white, streaked with dusky. 



Male, 12i, 23, 6|, 2#, 2 T ' ff , 1 T \, f. 



Of rare occurrence in England and Ireland during the win- 

 ter season, but not yet observed in Scotland. Being in its 

 winter plumage so very similar to the next species, it is liable 

 to be mistaken for it. 



Spotted Snipe. Spotted Redshank. Dusky Snipe. Dusky 

 Redshank. Dusky Sandpiper. Cambridge Godwit. Red- 

 legged Godwit. 



Scolopax fusca, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. 243. Scolopax fusca, 

 atra, Cantabrigiensis, Curonica, and Totanus, Lath. Ind. Or- 

 nith, 721, 724, 738. Totanus fuscus, Temm. Man. d'Ornith. 

 ii. 639. Totanus fuscus, Dusky Redshank Tattler, MacGilli- 

 vray, Brit. Birds, iv. 



198. TOTANUS CALIDRIS. GREY REDSHANK TATTLER, 



Adult with the basal half of the bill red, the other half 

 brownish-black, the feet orange-red, the secondary quills 



