temminck's stint. 75 



minck's Stint breeds in the northern provinces of Russia and 

 in Siberia, and that its diminutive size has hitherto prevented 

 the few naturalists that, comparatively, have visited those 

 colder climates, from noticing it; and besides, they meet with 

 difficulties and inconveniences that are unknown to the ffe- 

 neral collector of eggs, we must therefore make a due allow- 

 ance for them, and live in the hope that we may, sooner or 

 later, obtain the required information on this subject. 



We have already said that Temminck , s Stint is the small- 

 est of our sandpipers, but this remark will be found to be 

 more to the point, as respects some of the generic and cha- 

 racteristic parts, than in the entire circumference or bulk of 

 the individual when standing on its legs. 



The entire length of Temmmck 1 s Stint is five inches nine 

 lines ; wing, from the carpus to the tip, three inches nine 

 lines ; the beak, from the forehead to the tip, eight lines ; 

 the tarsus eight lines and a half, being two lines shorter than 

 in the Little Stint, and the middle toe eight lines. The first 

 and second quill -feathers are of equal length, and the longest 

 in the wing. The weight of this species is six drachms. 



The plumage of the adult bird in summer is as follows : — 

 all the upper parts, from the forehead down the neck, back, 

 scapulars, and tertials, are ferruginous, with broad black an- 

 gular centres to the feathers ; the forehead, ear-coverts, sides 

 of the neck and breast, are cinereous red-brown, with very 

 small longitudinal black streaks and spots ; the tail-feathers 

 are white, with the exception of the two middle ones, these 

 are dusky, with red-brown edges ; the belly and all the rest of 

 the under parts are pure white ; the lesser wing-coverts are 

 dusky, with paler edges ; the greater with white tips, thus 

 forming a white band across the wing ; the quills are dusky. 

 The beak is dusky at the tip, and brown at the base, the 

 legs olivaceous-brown, the iris hazel. 



