294 CHARADRIID^E 



admixture of indistinct fine white streaks ; abdomen, flanks, 

 and under tail-coverts, white, with a few dark streaks. In 

 late summer, before moulting into winter-dress, much of 

 the buff disappears from the back and wings ; in fact, I 

 have in my collection, specimens with the back nearly as 

 black as the breast. 



Adult female nuptial. Similar to the male plumage, 

 except that the black on the breast is sometimes less 

 developed. 



Adult winter, male and female. Top of head, face 

 (excepting a dull white stripe over the eye), hind-neck, back, 

 scapulars, and wings, chiefly ash-grey ; wings crossed by a 

 narrow white bar ; primaries, dark brown ; chin, breast, 

 and abdomen, pure white ; front of neck, ash-grey, with 

 darker streaks. 



Immature, male and female. Feathers of the back, 

 scapulars, and wings, resemble those of the adult nuptial 

 plumage, except that the buff edgings are lighter, thinner, 

 and duller in colour ; cheeks, tawny-brown ; breast and 

 neck, tawny-brown, with darker streaks ; the white of the 

 abdomen and flanks, interspersed with brownish spots. 



BEAK. Black, and varying considerably in length ; the 

 longer beaks show a tendency to a slight downward curve 

 like that of the Curlew-Sandpiper, whereas the shorter 

 beaks are straighter, like that of the Little Stint (Plate 

 XXIV., fig. 1, and Plate XXVII., fig. 2). 



FEET. Black. 



IRIDES. Blackish-brown. 



AVERAGE MEASUREMENTS. 



TOTAL LENGTH ... ... ... 7*5 in. 



WING 4-5 ,, 



BEAK ... T25 



(Extremes, from 0*9 in. to 1'5 in.). 



TARSO-METATARSUS 1 in. 



EGG ... 1-35 x '95 in. 



