SANDPIPER. 30.9 



The Turnstone arrives from the south on the shores of New 

 Jersey, in April, and leaves them early in June ; is also seen on its 

 return in October, to the south ; is rather a scarce bird, and seldom 

 mingles among the large flocks of other Sandpipers, on the Coast 

 of Cape May, and Egg Harbour; known by the name of Horse- 

 foot Snipe; living during May and June almost wholly on the eggs, 

 or spawn of the great king crab,* called there the Horse-foot, which 

 breeds there in quantities innumerable ; insomuch, that at some 

 periods their dead bodies cover the shore in such heaps, that for ten 

 miles one might walk upon them, without touching the ground ; 

 and they are taken away in waggons for manure. 



M. Temminck forms a Genus of this, in which the Turnstone is 

 the only species. This he names Strepsilas, or Tournpierre. 



75— INDIAN TURNSTONE. 



LENGTH eight inches and a half. Bill one inch, black, from 

 the nostrils to the eye, all round the chin, and throat, full black, 

 from thence to the lower part of the breast dusky ; sides of the head, 

 round the eyes, dusky white, passing on each side round the black 

 throat as a crescent, the point dividing the black from the dusky ; 

 the white continues a little way down on the side of the neck, when 

 it again comes forward on each side obliquely, and divides the dusky 

 part, but does not meet before ; the back part of the neck, back, and 

 middle of the wing coverts, dusky ; the inner ridge of the wing, all 

 the outer coverts, and second quills, ferruginous ; greater quills 

 black ; the lowest part of the back and rump, as well as all the under 

 parts from the breast, are dusky white ; tail rounded, or slightly 

 cuneiform, of a plain ash-colour, the coverts reaching to about the 

 middle; the quills extend almost to the end of the tail; legs red. 



Inhabits India, under the name of Tokiater ; is very much allied 

 to the Turnstone of Europe. 



* Monoculus Polyphemus of Entomologists. 



