480 CHARADRIID.E. 



head white, the latter slightly speckled with greyish black ; 

 nape of the neck a mixture of dusky grey and white ; the 

 whole of the back, scapulars, wing-coverts, tertials, rump, 

 and upper tail-coverts, black and white, the base of each 

 feather being black, the ends white ; the wing-primaries 

 greyish black, the shafts white ; tail-feathers white, with 

 numerous greyish black transverse bars ; the chin, cheeks, 

 throat, sides of the neck, breast, and belly, black ; vent and 

 under tail-covers white ; axillary plume elongated and black 

 at all ages and seasons ; under wing-coverts white ; legs, 

 toes, and claws, black. In this state, as to colour of 

 plumage, it is the Helvetica and melanogaster of authors. 



The whole length very nearly twelve inches. From the 

 carpal joint to the end of the wing, seven inches and five- 

 eighths ; the first quill-feather three-eighths of an inch 

 longer than the second, and the longest in the wing. 



In winter the feathers on the upper surface of the body 

 are dusky grey, edged with dull white ; the throat, breast, 

 and sides, lighter in colour than the back, the feathers but 

 slightly streaked with dusky grey; the belly, vent, and 

 under tail-coverts, dull white, with few or no marks. 



In spring the black feathers begin to appear on the 

 breast, and the birds may be observed in various degrees of 

 change from white, with only a few black feathers, to entire 

 and perfect black. The breeding- plumage is generally 

 complete by the end of May. 



Young birds of the year in autumn are darker than old 

 birds in winter, having a larger proportion of black above 

 and grey below. 



