The Sanderling 



glides slowly to the ground, uttering at the same time, in a trill, but with 

 deeper and richer tone, a series of notes which may be likened to the syl- 

 lables tziir-r-r-r, tzur-r-r." 



EXEUNT 





Taken in Washington 



i£l~: 



Photo by the Author 



No. 243 



Sanderling 



A. O. U. No. 248. Crocethia alba (Pallas). 



Description. — Adult in summer: Crown and upperparts, in general, blackish 

 with heavy edging of ashy white, and with much striping, sub-marginal marking, 

 or indenting and barring, of pale rufous; forehead, sides of head, throat, and neck all 

 around, and sides of breast ashy white, strongly tinted with pale rufous, and finely 

 spotted with dusky; remaining underparts pure white, — the white well up on sides 

 of rump, and including outer feathers of upper tail-coverts; wings, marginally, 

 and including exposed portions of quills, fuscous; the greater coverts tipped with 

 white, and the wing-quills changing to white on their inner webs and under surfaces; 

 the inner primaries white basally on outer webs; tail dusky above, ashy gray on lateral 

 feathers. Bill and feet black. Adult in winter: Wings dusky, varied, on middle 

 coverts, etc., with white; central upper tail-coverts and tail-feathers dusky; remaining 

 upperparts ashy gray (nearly pearl gray) ; the feathers, especially on crown, with 

 dusky shaft-lines; entire underparts pure white. Immature in fall: Somewhat like 

 adult in summer, but without rufous anywhere; back, therefore, showing more black, 

 varied chiefly by white in scant edgings and tips, or in liberal indentations on scapulars 

 and tertials; feathers of rump nearly square-ended, marked subterminally with light 

 ashy gray, but tipped with a sharp, narrow band of blackish; underparts white, — or 

 sometimes spotted on breast. Length 177.8-222.3 (7.00-8.75); wing 122.4 (4.82); 

 tail 53.6 (2. 11); bill 26.9 (1.06); tarsus 25.9 (1.02). 



Recognition Marks. — Towhee size; fine, mottled rufous, ashy and black of 

 spring birds; excess of white in fall specimens; black bill, strongly contrasting with 

 adjacent plumage. Absence of hind toe, of course, distinctive. 



1253 



