286 LITTLE SANDPIPER. 



considerably longer than the lateral, which are a little longer than the 

 intermediate. 



Bill greenish-dusky; feet pale dull yellowish-green; claws black; iris 

 hazel. The feathers on the upper part of the head, and back, including 

 the scapulars, smaller wing-coverts, and inner secondaries, black, broadly 

 margined with light brownish-red; some of the scapulars margined externally 

 with white, and the larger glossed with green. Alula, primary coverts, 

 primary quills, and outer secondaries, greyish-black, all more or less narrowly 

 tipped with greyish-white; secondary coverts largely tipped with the same; 

 the primaries externally edged with the same toward the base, as are the 

 outer secondaries in a fainter degree, the inner webs of some of the latter 

 greyish-white towards the base. Rump and upper tail-coverts black. The 

 two middle tail-feathers black, with pale brownish-red margins, the next 

 feather on each side greyish-brown, margined with greyish-white, the outer 

 four pale brownish-grey, very narrowly margined externally, more broadly 

 round their points and along the inner edges with greyish-white; lateral 

 tail-coverts with the outer web white. From the forehead over the eye to 

 the occiput, a band of dull greyish-white, faintly streaked with dusky; loral 

 band brownish-dusky, that colour extending to the ear-coverts; the rest of 

 the cheeks dull greyish-white, faintly streaked with dusky; the throat 

 greyish-white; the sides and fore part of the neck of the same colour, faintly 

 streaked with dusky; the rest of the lower parts, including the axillar and 

 lateral rump feathers, pure white; the lower surface of the wing pale 

 brownish-grey, the coverts margined and tipped with greyish-white; the 

 shafts of the primaries white. 



Length to end of tail 5-| inches, to end of wings 5^, to end of claws 5f ; 

 extent of wings llf; from tip of bill to carpal joint 2; wing from flexure 

 3 T 8 2; tail lyj; bill along the ridge f|; tarsus -||; hind toe and claw -ff, 

 middle toe and claw y|; outer toe and claw -^j inner T %- shorter. 



Adult Female. 



The female is somewhat larger than the male, but similarly coloured. 



In autumn, previous to the moult, the upper parts are of a darker colour, 

 on account of the wearing of the red margins of the feathers. 



On the roof of the mouth is a series of papillae, and the tongue is 7 twelfths 

 long, extremely slender, and tapering to a fine point. The oesophagus is 2 

 inches and 11 twelfths long, 1 twelfth in diameter; the proventriculus 

 enlarged to 2j twelfths, its length 5 twelfths. The stomach is a powerful 

 gizzard, \ inch long, 4-|- twelfths broad; its lateral muscles large, as are the 

 tendons. Its contents were coleopterous and other insects. The epithelium 

 longitudinally rugous, and of a brownish-red colour. The intestine of 



