TEINGA MINUTA. 885 



Obs. The summer plumage of this Stint, the first time that it is assumed (aud the same rule must apply to other 

 members of the genus), differs from that of succeeding years in having the wing-coverts edged with rufous. This 

 is in reality an immature characteristic, the feathers, up to the time being, not having been moulted ; and they 

 become slightly intensified in colour, together with the back and scapulars, having been throughout the winter 

 edged with rufescent. After the moult succeeding the first breeding-season the wing-coverts assume their adult 

 grey colour, and never change afterwards. 



Young, nestling (Dvoinik). Back and wings ferruginous buff, mottled coarsely with black ; forehead, face, and hind 

 neck buff, a dark stripe through the lores ; crown black, mottled with whitish buff ; ear-coverts tipped with black, 

 and a spot above them ; under surface whitish, with a buff wash across the throat ; thighs buff, mottled with 

 black. Bill at front 0-39 inch ; tarsus 073 ; middle toe and claw 0'74. 



Immature (Heligoland, September). Wing 3"8 inches. Head blackish, the edges of the feathers buff; a white eye- 

 brow passing to above the ears ; hind neck brown, the feathers edged with greyish and with buff on the sides of 

 the lower part ; interscapular region black, some of the feathers edged with white, others with buff ; scapulars 

 blackish, with white tips and edges ; wing-coverts and tertials edged with rufous-buff ; quills as in the adult, but 

 with the shorter primaries edged at the base with white ; central tail-feathers edged with dusky fulvous ; beneath 

 white, tinged on the chest and breast with buff. 



Obs. As found in Ceylon in its winter plumage, the short toes and dark legs distinguish this species at once from the 

 next ; but its lighter upper surface, white forehead, and unmarked chest enable it equally well to be discriminated 

 from the Long-toed Stint at a momentary glance. 



The eastern form of this Stint is the T. albescens of Temm., to which the prior name of T. rufieollis, Pallas, undoubtedly, 

 I think, applies. It is a larger bird, having a longer wing and a proportionately larger tarsus and foot. One 

 specimen in the Swinhoe collection measures 3'9 inches in the wing, seven 4-0, and four range between 4-1 

 aud 435. It is almost indistinguishable from T. minuta in its winter plumage, but will, I think, always be 

 found to have a pure white chest and a greater extent of white on the forehead, as well as a greyer upper 

 surface. In summer livery, however, it has the face, neck, aud chest fine rufous, the chin whitish, and the 

 breast-feathers with dark central spots ; the feathers of the head and back are black, edged with rufous, which 

 predominates on the hind neck ; the outer tail-feathers are pale brown ; and the 2nd quill-shaft varies (it is 

 generally white on the terminal half, but in some specimens it is whity brown). I was disposed at one time (Str. 

 Eeath. 1876, p. 205) to think that this species visited Ceylon ; but in re-examining my specimens I find that they 

 are not large enough and white enough on the chest to be safely included in its ranks. 



In connexion with this species it will be well to mention that the middle figure in pi. 332, ' B. of Europe,' of Tringa 

 minuta is Tringa albescens=T. rufieollis in summer plumage. Gould's description of T. albescens, Temm. (Birds of 

 Austr. vi. pi. 31), refers to an example in partial change only ; it reads, " sides of the breast spotted with dark 

 brown and stained with rusty red in the centre." It is possible, however, that after all there may be two species 

 of rufous-chested Stints, and that Gould's may be a local southern form of T. rufieollis, for he affirms that this 

 bird was found breeding off the west coast of Australia. 



T. minutilla, Vieill., the American representative of T. minuta, is smaller than it, measuring in the wing 3-3 to 3-6, and 

 has the chest in summer plumage thickly spotted with brown and tinged with ashy fulvous ; the chin is whitish, 

 and it is altogether a darker bird. 



Distribution. — The Little Stint is the most abundant by far of its genus in Ceylon. It is found all round 

 the north coast from Negombo to Jaffna, and thence down to Hambantota ; and within these limits is almost 

 universally distributed wherever the locality is suited to its habits, being met with in very large flocks, far 

 outnumbering its congeners noticed in the last and next articles. It is unusual to find it far inland; but 

 it may be met with some miles from the sea-coast about small tanks, water-holes, and other fresh waters, and, 

 of course, follows up salt lagoons to their source. I met with it at the Kanthelai tank. It is numerous on 

 the extensive sands of the Jaffna lake, and on the immense flats above Elephant Pass it was the only small 

 shore-bird besides the Kentish Plover that I saw there ; it was very common on the Pootoor lagoons in the 

 Jaffna peninsula, at which the next species was also pretty plentiful. I never met with it on the shore south 

 of Negombo, for there are few spots between there and Matara suited to its habits ; but it probably affects 

 the mouths of the rivers on that stretch of coast. The Hambantota district is the only one in which I saw it 

 during the S.W. monsoon ; but the number of barren birds there were not equal to those of the Curlew Stint. 



5x2 



