T RING A 771 



shafts chiefly white ; wing-coverts tipped with white ; upper tail-coverts and 

 middle tail-feathera black, the former slightly marked, the latter margined 

 with rufous, rest of tail pale ashy with narrow white margins ; under parts 

 white, the fore neck and breast tinged with rufous, and with specks of dark 

 brown; bill and feet black ; iris brown. Culmen 0*7, wing 3'7, tail 1'7, 

 tarsus 0'75, middle toe 0'75. Sexes alike. In winter the upper parts are 

 greyish brown with blackish centres to the feathers, the rufous tinge lacking 

 in the plumage ; under parts white ; the sides of the upper breast brownish. 

 The young bird has the upper parts blackish, with rufous and whitish 

 margins, the under parts white, the breast tinged with buff and unspotted. 



Hob. Northern Europe, breeding in the eastern and high 

 northern portion, migrating for the winter as far as South 

 Africa; Northern Asia, east to Lake Baikal, south in winter 

 to India and Ceylon. 



Frequents on passage and in winter the sea coasts, river 

 banks, marshes and mud-flats, and is then usually seen in small 

 flocks and consorting with other waders. Its flight is swift but 

 irregular, and its note, drrr, drrrt, drrrt, is often uttered when 

 on the wing. Its food consists of aquatic insects, worms, small 

 Crustacea, and occasionally seeds of shore-plants. It breeds from 

 Northern Russia to the Taimyr Peninsula, the nest being a 

 mere depression or cup in the ground near the tide-mark, 

 scantily lined with dried leaves or grass, and the 4 eggs, which 

 are deposited in June or July, are miniatures of Dunlins' eggs, 

 and measure about 1*12 by 0*80. 



1068. EASTERN LITTLE STINT. 

 TRINGA RUFIGOLLIS. 



Tringa ruficollis, Pallas, Reis. Russ. Reichs. iii. p. 700 (1776) ; David 



and Oust. Ois. Chine, p. 472 ; (Sharpe), Cat. B. Br. Mus. xxiv. 



p. 545 ; Blanf. F. Brit. Ind. Birds, iv. p. 274 ; Tacz. F. 0. Sib. 0. 



p. 920 ; T. damacensis, Horsf. Tr. Linn. Soc. xiii. p. 192 (1821) ; T. 



albescens, Temm. PI. Col. v. pi. 41 (1823) ; Gould, B. of Austr. vi. 



pi. 31. 



ad. (E. Siberia). Differs from T. minuta in being somewhat larger, 

 and in having the sides of the face and neck, the throat and chest bright 

 rufous, the chin alone whitish ; bill and legs black ; iris nearly black. 

 Culmen 0'7, wing 4'0, tail 1'85, tarsus 0'7, middle toe 07 inch. Female 

 similar but with less rufous in the plumage. In winter plumage this 

 species is undistinguishable from T. minuta. 



Hdb. North-eastern Siberia from the Taimyr to Kamchatka, 

 migrating south for the winter through Dauria and Mongolia, 

 to Japan, China, Burma, India, the Malay Archipelago, and 

 Australia. 



3 



