ARMSTRONG’S YELLOW-SHANKS, 405 
yellewish near the gape; the legs and feet vary from greenish 
yellow to dull ochreous, and have more or less of a dusky 
shade over the joints. 
THE PLATE exhibits fairly enough the shape and propor- 
tions of the species, but as to the colouration Mr. Neale may be 
able to explain it—J/ cannot. 
The plate professes to exhibit the summer and _ winter 
plumage. The former, which I presume the figure in the fore- 
ground, is intended to depict is, to the best of my knowledge, 
purely imaginary. Posszbly, Mr. Neale obtained a specimen in 
summer plumage elsewhere, but if so, I have never been in- 
formed of the fact, and none of the six specimens that I have 
seen were in the slightest degree like the figure in the fore- 
ground. Failing more definite information, I can only con- 
clude that, seeing that the winter plumage a good deal resembled 
that of the Common Green-Shank, a summer plumage also has 
been invented for our bird on the model of that of the Green- 
Shank. This, though creditable to some one’s ingenuity, is 
a proceeding hardly conducive to scientific accuracy, and scarcely 
to be commended. The guess may prove a lucky one, but 
nature isso full of surprises that I should not be in the least 
astonished if it proved wholly erroneous. 
Anyhow, my readers will kindly remember that, so far as 
I know, there is at present no foundation in fact, for the hand- 
some bird in the foreground with its extraordinary, patchy, 
vivid green legs. 
The ticket onthe specimen sent to Mr. Neale to figure says 
distinctly: “Legs and feet greenish ochreous yellow, somewhat 
dusky over phalangeal joints.” De coloribus non est disputandum 
with an eminent artist ; but still I believe that the general sense 
of the public will be with me when I say, that our artist’s ren- 
dering of this description is decidedly ‘out of the common.” 
Except for the bright green feet, the figure in the background 
does approximately represent our bird, in the sole garb in 
which (to the best of my belief) it has ever as yet been met 
with; but to make it really correct, the very dark brown marks 
on the crown, and the dark brown lunules on the back, must 
be entirely removed, since crown and mantle are alike a pale 
greyish or ashy brown, each feather very narrowly margined 
with white. 
The plate being such as it is, I am compelled to subjoin an 
exact description of our specimens. 
A broad stripe from the forehead (on which it forms a band) 
to just over the eye, the feathers about the gape, chin, throat 
and front of the neck, breast, abdomen, vent, lower tail-coverts, 
sides of the body and flanks, axillaries, and wing-lining, lower 
back and rump, pure white ; crown, back of the neck, intersca- 
pulary region, scapulars, secondaries, and tertiaries, and most 
