464 CHARADRIID^E. 



plume greyish white ; legs and toes greenish yellow ; the 

 claws black. 



The whole length nine inches and a half. From the 

 carpal joint to the end of the wing, six inches ; the wing in 

 form pointed ; the first quill-feather the longest ; the 

 average weight about four ounces : I have seen one ex- 

 ample that weighed six ounces and a half. 



I have occasionally seen specimens early in May that 

 had not obtained their summer dress ; the breast is then 

 white, but slightly tinged with buff. 



Mr. Heysham^s description of a young female, three 

 weeks or a month old, killed on Robinson July 25th ] 835, 

 is as follows : " Forehead, throat, and sides of the face, 

 cream-yellow, covered with small spots and fine streaks of 

 greyish brown. Crown of the head, occiput, and also the 

 feathers on the back, dark brown, all more or less broadly 

 edged with buff orange. Scapulars and wing-coverts olive 

 green, deeply edged with reddish white; tail the same, 

 finely margined with white, the centre feathers broadly 

 tipped with reddish white, and the three lateral ones on 

 each side ending in a large irregular whitish spot. Sides of 

 the neck, flanks, and a broad band above each eye, buff 

 orange, the former finely streaked with greyish brown. 

 Breast cinereous, slightly tinged with reddish white, and 

 marked on each side with large spots of olive green. Belly 

 white, finely spotted here and there with greyish brown. 

 Bill black. Irides dark brown. Legs pale olive green ; 

 soles bright yellow." 



