CUKLEW-SANDPIPER 305 



the Atlantic-facing sides of Scotland and Ireland, though 

 along the American coast they are far from common. The 

 fly-lines become very extensive as the cold season advances, 

 for in winter this bird is found in South America, South 

 Africa, India, and other parts of Southern Asia, also in such 

 remote lands as Australia and Tasmania. On the return 

 passage northward in spring the Curlew - Sandpiper is 

 common in many countries of Europe and Asia. 



DESCRIPTIVE CHARACTERS. 



PLUMAGE. Adult male nuptial. Head, neck, back, and 

 greater portion of wings, blackish, with variegated markings 

 of chestnut and grey ; wing-coverts, chiefly greyish-brown ; 

 primaries and tail, ash-grey; upper tail-coverts, whitish, 

 shaded with light buff and barred with black ; throat, sides 

 and front of neck, breast and abdomen, rich chestnut, thinly 

 striped with brown about the abdomen and flanks. 



Adult female nuptial. Similar to the male plumage, 

 but duller in shade. 



Adult male and female. The front of the neck, breast, 

 and abdomen are white, and the chestnut shading of the 

 nuptial plumage disappears from the back and wings, which 

 in winter are greyish-brown. 



Immature, male and female. Top of head, hind-neck, 

 back, scapulars, wings, and tail, dusky greyish-brown, with 

 very pale buff edgings ; upper tail-coverts form a noticeable 

 white patch ; cheeks, sides and front of neck, and upper 

 breast, greyish- buff, finely streaked with dull brown ; throat, 

 lower breast, abdomen, under tail-coverts, and flanks, white ; 

 over the eye is an ill-defined white stripe. 



BEAK. Blackish ; slightly decurved near the point. 



FEET. Dark brownish-black. 



IRIDES. Blackish-brown. 



AVERAGE MEASUREMENTS. 



TOTAL LENGTH ... 8 in. 



WING 5-1 ,, 



BEAK 1-5 



TARSO-METATARSUS 1'2 ,, 



EGG 1-45x1 in. 



20 



