166 



Ad. ptil. Mem. pileo, nucha, collo postice et lateraliter et dorso saturate cinereis immaculatis, vix brunneo 

 tinctis : a basi rostri supra oculum linea. alba fere ad nucham ducta : regione oculari alba : loris et 

 linea sub oculo cinereis : capitis lateribus et gutture vix cinereo striatis : corpore subtus albo, hypo- 

 chondriis vix fumoso-cinereo notatis : alis et cauda ut in ptilosi sestivali, sed pallidioribus et grises- 

 centioribus : pedibus rubescenti-aurantiacis. 



Adult Male in summer (Archangel, 17th May). Head, neck, breast, and underparts sooty black, some of 

 the feathers, especially on the chin and hind neck, narrowly tipped with white ; back, elongated inner 

 secondaries, scapulars, and wing-coverts sooty black, with a slight metallic gloss, and, to some extent, 

 washed with grey, all the feathers tipped and slightly marked here and there on the sides with white, 

 giving the upper parts a spotted appearance ; quills blackish, the shaft of the first quill white, the 

 primaries mottled with white on the basal portion of the inner web, the secondaries strongly marked 

 and tipped with white ; rump white ; upper tail-coverts blackish, barred with white ; tail sooty blackish, 

 the central feathers with indistinct greyish bars, and all marked on the edge and tipped with white ; 

 flanks and under tail-coverts tolerably broadly barred with white ; under wing-coverts white, slightly 

 marked with sooty grey; axillaries white, with the faintest spots of sooty grey on one or two feathers; 

 bill blackish, except at the base of the lower mandible, where it is reddish ; iris dark brown ; legs 

 dark red. Total length about 12 inches, culmen 2 - 5, wing 6'7, tail 2 - 82, tarsus 23, bare portion of 

 tibia 1*45. 



Adult Male in winter (Malta). Crown, nape, hind neck, and back dull ashy with a brownish tinge, 

 unspotted ; sides of the neck similarly coloured ; from the base of the bill, on the side of the forehead, 

 a broad white streak passes over each eye ; and the space immediately round the eye is also white ; lores 

 and a streak passing below the eye dull ashy ; sides of the head and lower neck slightly streaked with 

 pale ashy grey; flanks faintly marked with sooty grey; underparts otherwise pure white; wings and 

 tail as in the summer dress, but much greyer and paler ; legs lighter-coloured, being more of a dull- 

 orange reddish tinge. 



Female. Similar to the male. 



Young in autumn (Stockholm, 26th August) . Resembles the winter-plumaged bird above described, but has 

 the upper parts much darker, the neck and back marked with white, the back and wings with a faint 

 metallic gloss, and the underparts barred and marked all over with pale sooty grey, which is darkest on 

 the lower neck and breast ; chin pure white. 



Young in down (Muonioniska, July). Covered with down close at the base, but with the tips radiating out 

 like hairs; upper parts variegated blackish brown and brownish buff; forehead buff, with one central 

 dark stripe, which joins the blackish brown on the hind crown; a narrow blackish stripe passes also 

 from the base of the bill through the eye to the hind neck ; underparts dusky white, clouded with 

 brownish buff on the breast and flanks. 



Like many of our Waders the present species has a wide range ; for it occurs throughout Europe, 

 has been met with in the winter as far south as the Cape of Good Hope, and is recorded in Asia 

 from as far east as China, It does not, however, inhabit the Nearctic Region. 



In Great Britain the present species is, comparatively speaking, rare. It has never been 

 known to breed with us, and only occurs now and again during migration on our coasts, its visits 

 being chiefly restricted to the eastern side of our island ; and it is more frequently met with 



