PURPLE SANDPIPER. 559 



long, and an inch across at their greatest breadth. Their colour is yel- 

 lowish-grey, interspersed with small irregular spots of pale brown, crowded 

 at the obtuse end, and rare at the other." 



Tringa maritima, Ch. Bonaparte, Synopsis of Bii'ds of the United States, p. 318 — 



Swains, and Richards. Fauna Bor. Amer. part ii. p. 382. 

 Purple Sandpiper, Nultall, Manual, vol. ii. p. 115. 



Adult in summer. Plate CCLXXXIV. Fig. 1. 



Bill longer than the head, almost straight, subulate, compressed at tlie 

 base, flexible ; upper mandible with the dorsal line almost straight, being 

 sUghtly deflected towards the end, the ridge narrow and convex, towards the 

 end broader, the sides sloping, the edges rather obtuse. Nostrils basal, late- 

 ral, linear ; nasal groove extending to near the end of the bill. Lower 

 mandible with the angle long and very narrow, the dorsal line beyond it 

 shghtly concave, the sides sloping upwards with a narrow groove, the tip 

 rounded. 



Head rather small, oblong, compressed. Neck shortish. Body full. 

 Feet of moderate length, slender ; tibia bare for a short space; tarsus ra- 

 ther short, compressed, anteriorly covered with scutella, laterally reticu- 

 lated ; toes of moderate length, excepting the first, which is very small, 

 third longest and including the claw longer than the tarsus, fourth slight- 

 ly longer than second ; fore toes scutellate above, without webs at the 

 base, the middle one with an inner thickish margin, the lateral each with 

 an outer one ; claws considerably curved, compressed, obtuse, that of hind 

 toe very small, of middle toe largest, with a dilated thin inner edge. 



Plumage soft, blended, on the back rather compact, the feathers round- 

 ed. Wings rather long, pointed ; primaries tapering, rounded, the first 

 longest, the second slightly shorter ; outer secondaries short, obliquely 

 truncate, inner elongated and tapering. Tail short, rounded, the central 

 feathers elongated. 



Bill deep orange, towards the end dusky. Edges of eyelids grey, iris 

 orange. Feet light orange, claws dusky. Head greyish-brown tinged 

 with purple, its sides and those of the neck deep purple ; back and wings 

 brownish-black, with purple reflections, the margins of the feathers white ; 

 quills brownish-black, their shafts, the tips of all the secondaries, and the 

 greater part of the middle ones, white ; middle tail-feathers brownish- 

 black, tinged with purple, the lateral shaded into ash-grey. Upper part 



