SANDPIPER. 249 



white; under coverts white; prime quills dusky, shafts more or less 

 white; secondaries and scapulars nearly the colour of the back, and 

 both about equal in length ; lower part of the back, rump, and 

 middle of the tail coverts, ash-colour ; tail rather rounded at 

 the end, brownish ash-colour, a little mottled with brownish near 

 the tip, and fringed at the end with pale ferruginous; legs dusky 

 olive-green, bare one inch above the knee ; the outer and middle 

 toe connected at the base. Such is the description of a bird shot at 

 Greenwich, the 5th of August, 1795, by the late Dr. Leith, who 

 added it to my collection. According to Colonel Montagu this is 

 the Ruff in its winter plumage ; but we somewhat hesitate in this 

 supposition, though we cannot, on our own experience, contradict it. 



4.— EQUESTRIAN SANDPIPER. 



Tringa equestris, Ind. Orn. ii. 730. 

 Calidris viperino colore, Gerin. iv. t. 468. 

 Le Chevalier commun, Buf. vii. 511. PL enl. 844. 



Equestrian Sandpiper, Gen. Syn. Sup. ii. 311. Br. Zool. 1812. ii. p. 85. Orn. Diet. 

 <§- Supp. 



LENGTH twelve inches. Bill dusky ; body above rufous grey, 

 clouded with brown ; sides of the head, fore part of the neck, and 

 breast, white, clouded with paler brown ; on the sides of the head 

 minute specks of the same ; chin, belly, thighs, vent, and rump, 

 white ; the two middle tail feathers rufous brown, with black bands, 

 the others plain, pale rufous brown ; legs pale grey; in some speci- 

 mens pale orange.* 



Inhabits Europe; sometimes seen in England, but rarely. It is 

 considered by Col. Montagu as a Variety of the Ruff. M. Tem- 

 minck thinks it is the dress of the male and young bird in autumn. 



* Five of these shot in the spring of 1801, by Mr. Boys, had the legs pale orange. 



VOL. IX. K K 



