WOOD SANDPIPER. O 



The plumage of the young birds and that of the 

 adult in winter do not differ much, but the summer plu- 

 mage stands alone. The immature plumage is as fol- 

 lows : — A small bar of dusky extends from the base of the 

 beak to the eye, over which is a broad white streak that 

 passes above the eye and surrounds it ; the top of the head 

 is dusky, with narrow white edges to the feathers ; the back 

 of the neck the same, but more streaked with white ; the 

 cheeks are white with narrow brown streaks, as are also the 

 ear-coverts, which are besides tinged with ash- colour ; chin 

 and throat pure white ; the neck white, with brown shaft- 

 streaks and markings, which become larger and plainer on the 

 chest ; the back, shoulders, tertials, and the greater and lesser 

 wing-coverts dusky, with hardly perceptible reflexions of 

 green and purple, and bright rufous triangular spots bor- 

 dering the edges of the feathers ; on the lesser wing-coverts 

 these spots become extinct, and the ground colour of the edge 

 of the wing is much lighter : the quill-feathers are dusky, the 

 first of which has a white shaft ; all the tips of the quill- 

 feathers are narrowly edged with white, with the exception of 

 the first ; the lower part of the back is dusky ; the rump 

 white ; the upper tail-coverts white, with small dusky shaft- 

 streaks and spots ; all the under parts white ; the under tail- 

 coverts have narrow dusky shaft-streaks : the thighs are spotted 

 with brown ; the tail white, broadly barred with dusky. Male 

 and female are alike. 



The winter plumage differs very little from the foregoing : 

 the top of the head has more decided brown spots ; the mark- 

 ings on the back and sides of the neck are narrower, and 

 clouded with ash-colour ; the side feathers of the breast and 

 flanks are covered with greyish-brown waving lines ; the 

 brown spots on the upper parts are larger and brighter. As the 

 birds advance in age the rufous colouring becomes almost 



white. The legs and base of the beak are greenish ash-colour. 



B 3 



