Shore-bird Shooting 347 



neck, upper breast, and under tail-coverts, sandy buff, the neck 

 and breast spotted, flank and tail-coverts barred with blackish ; 

 under wing-coverts and axillars, white, barred with black. 



Winter plumage — Sandy buff more pronounced, buff edges to 

 feathers above broader and blackish markings on neck larger ; 

 otherwise similar. 



Young — Much more rufous than adults ; the black above more uni- 

 form and the pale tips to the scapulars and wing-coverts less 

 distinct ; the inner, greater wing-coverts and inner secondaries, 

 barred with black and rufous ; the sides of head and hind neck 

 more rufous, and the white breast and white tail feathers, barred 

 with dusky ; bill, brown ; feet and legs, light slate ; iris, brown. 



Downy young — Above, ashy fulvous becoming rufous on crown, 

 centre of back and wings ; striped with black on forehead, 

 crown, lores, sides of head, back, and flanks ; superciliary line, 

 side of head, centre of breast and abdomen white ; rest of lower 

 parts, orange-buff. 



Measurements — Length, 1 1 inches ; wing, 5.50 inches ; tail, 2 inches ; 

 culmen, 2.50 inches ; tarsus, 1 30 inches. 



Eggs — Four; olive-gray, spotted with pale purplish and purplish 

 brown; measure 1.65 by 1.15 inches. 



Habitat — Breeds from Prussia, Poland, Russia, and Siberia, west 

 of the Yenesei River, north to beyond 71° north latitude. 

 Winters from the Mediterranean to South Africa. Occurs in 

 migration from Persia to Great Britain and has been recorded 

 from Madeira. A skin in the British Museum was taken in 

 Hudson Bay before 1830. 



This is a solitary bird not found in flocks except 

 in the beginning of the pairing season, when the 

 males meet to "drum," Professor Collett says, and 

 sometimes to fight for the females. At this time 

 eight or ten birds will collect toward dusk at some 

 damp place in a marsh, where there is water be- 

 tween the tussocks, and spend most of the night 

 in displaying the beauty of their voices and their 



