GREENSHANK. 485 



grooved as far as the angle and convex, the edges sharp and inflected, 

 the point very nari-ow. 



Head small, oblong, narrowed before. Neck rather long, slender. 

 Body slender. Feet long and slender ; tibia bare for half its length, scu- 

 tellate before and behind ; tarsus long, slender, covered before and behind 

 •with numerous scutella, the narrow lateral spaces with extremely small 

 oblong scales. Toes small, very slender, scutellate above, flat beneath, 

 marginate, the middle toe connected with the outer by a basal membrane, 

 with the inner by an extremely small one ; first toe extremely small, se- 

 cond slightly shorter than foiu'th, third considerably longer. Claws small, 

 compressed, arched, rather obtuse, that of third toe with a dilated inner 

 edge. 



Plumage soft and blended, on the fore part of the head very short, on 

 the neck short and almost downy. Wings rather long, very acute, nar- 

 row ; primaries tapering and rounded, the first longest, the second little 

 shorter, the rest rapidly graduated ; secondaries obliquely rounded, the 

 inner elongated and tapering. Tail short, of twelve narrow, rounded fea- 

 thers, the two middle ones considerably longer than the rest. 



Bill dusky-green, black at the end. Iris brown. Feet dull green- 

 ish-grey. A broad band from the bill to the eye, all the lower parts, as 

 well as the back, excepting a small portion anteriorly, pure white ; that 

 colour, however, does not appear on the back, when the wings are closed, 

 it being covered over by the scapulars. Loral space white, marked with 

 small oblong spots of greyish brown ; sides of the lower part of fore neck 

 and a portion of the breast faintly barred with grey. The upper part of 

 the head, and the hind part and sides of the neck are greyish-white, with 

 longitudinal central greyish-brown markings. The scapulars and inner 

 secondaries are greyish-brown, the feathers edged with greyish- white, and 

 lined or mottled with dark brown towards the margins ; the smaller wing- 

 coverts plain, the larger darker near the edge and margined with whitish, 

 as are the outer secondaries ; the primary quills and their coverts dark 

 brown, the shaft of the outer white. The tail is greyish-white, undulated 

 with light brown, the four outer feathers on each side with only a series 

 of spots on the outer edge, which on the outermost feathers is almost 

 obliterated. 



Length to end of tail 1 1 inches, to end of wings 12 ; wing from flexure 

 7 ; tail 3 ; bill along the back 2i^j, along the edge of lower mandible 2/j ; 

 bare part of tibia lj% ; tarsus Sj^^ ; middle toe 1/j, its claw j'^. 



