440 CHARADRIIDJl. 



In the adult bird, the beak is black at the point, the 

 base greenish yellow ; the irides golden yellow ; the top of 

 the head and back of the neck pale wood-brown, each 

 feather with a streak of black in the centre ; from the base 

 of the upper mandible a light-coloured streak passes back- 

 ward under the eye to the ear-coverts ; from the base 

 of the lower mandible a brown streak passes below the 

 light-coloured one to the ends of the ear-coverts; the 

 feathers of the back, wing-coverts, tertials, and upper 

 tail coverts, pale brown, each feather with a dark brownish 

 black, longitudinal streak in the line of the shaft ; wing 

 primaries almost black, the first and second with a white 

 patch towards the end ; the tail-feathers with the basal 

 halves mottled with two shades of brown, the third portion 

 white, the ends black ; the outside tail-feathers shorter than 

 those in the middle. The chin and throat white ; the neck 

 and breast pale brownish white, each feather streaked along 

 the centre with blackish brown ; belly, sides, and flanks, 

 almost white, with long, narrow, longitudinal streaks ; vent 

 and under tail-coverts buffy white, without streaks ; legs 

 and toes yellow ; the claws almost black. 



The whole length seventeen inches. The wing, from the 

 carpal joint to the end, nine inches and three-quarters : the 

 first and second quill-feathers nearly equal in length, and 

 the longest in the wing. 



The plumage in the two sexes is nearly similar. 



In young birds the markings of the plumage are less dis- 

 tinct. 



The breast-bone of this species is figured at the bottom 

 of page 435. 



