183 



ii 



A. conspectus, Sec. It often catches tadpoles, and has been found to have a small frog (Rana 

 esculenta) in the stomach. Fish and frog-spawn it also devours, but not often ; and the same is 

 the case as regards small water shell-fish ; but they often swallow small stones and sand. They 

 also eat common lob-worms and small fishes." 



The beautiful pear-shaped eggs of this wader have the ground-colour pale buffy white or 

 stone-colour, the underlying shell-markings dull purplish-brown, and the overlying surface-blotches 

 rich bright dark brown. These markings are generally distributed over the surface of the egg ; 

 but sometimes the egg has large blotches here and there, and the rest of the surface is compara- 

 tively little spotted. In a series of twenty eggs, now before us, out of Dresser's collection, col- 

 lected by himself in Northern Finland (Pudasjarvi), by Meves at Archangel, and by Wolley's 

 collectors at Muonioniska and Tornea, Lapland, they vary in size from Iff by l^-§ of an inch to 

 %To by lit, and 2 inches by 1±£. 



The different changes of plumage in the present bird are described from the following speci- 

 mens : — The spring dress from an example in the collection of Mr. J. H. Gurney, jun., purchased 

 in Leadenhall Market on the 6th of April 1871. The birds illustrating the other stages are in 

 our own collection, as follows : — a breeding female from Enare, Lapland, shot on the 13th of 

 July 1847, and given to us by Professor Sundevall; the autumn bird, shot at Pagham Harbour 

 by Sharpe in August 1870; and the winter bird obtained from the Knysna district of the Cape 

 Colony. The colour of the legs seems to vary considerably with the season of the year. One 

 killed by Mr. Ayres in Natal had the " eye dark brown, the legs and bill light slate-colour;" and 

 Mr. Swinhoe gives the following description of an " adult shot on the 4th of September 1861, in 

 Formosa": — " Length 13^ in. ; wing 7; tail 3. Bill along culmen 2^ in., to gape 2^. Apical 

 half of bill blackish brown ; basal half leaden-grey. Ear-covert as large as the eye, dark purplish 

 grey ; operculum with an oval slit running obliquely through more than half its diameter. Iris 

 dark umber. Legs and toes light ochreous grey, patched with ochre on the toes and dark leaden- 

 grey at their joints; claws deep brown." 



In the preparation of the above article we have examined the following specimens : — 



E Mus. Sharpe and Dresser. 



a. Pagham, Sussex, July 1870 (R. B. S.). b, c, d. Pagham, August 1870 (R. B. S.). e. Pagham, September 

 1870 {R. B. S.). f. Guldbrausdalen, Norway, July 9th 1864, shot from the nest (R. Collett). g. Enare, 

 Lapland, July 13th 1847 (C. /. Sundevall). h. Natal {Ayres). i,j. Knysna, S.Africa (Cutter). 



E Mus. J. H. Gurney, jun. 



a. Leadenhall Market, April 6th 1871 (/. H. G.) . b. Newgate Market, September 1868 (/. Gatcombe) . c. 

 Great Cotes, August 18th 1868 (J. Cordeaux). d. Yarmouth, August 16th 1868 (Gunn). 



E Mus. H. B. Tristram, 

 a. Pylos, Greece, February 13th 1858 (H. B. T.). b. Plain of Acre, November 12th 1863 {H. B. T.). 



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