THE OYSTER- CATCHER. 509 



buff ; sometimes a few feathers of back and rump faintly tipped 

 dusky ; upper tail-coverts washed subterminally with buff and 

 narrowly tipped black, sometimes with two or three dusky-black 

 bars or markings ; under -parts as adult summer but black chin 

 sometimes intermixed with white, sometimes feathers of throat 

 more or less white towards base, white bases only partially con- 

 cealed forming an imperfect white throat-band ; black feathers of 

 upper -breast bordering lower -breast with buff edgings ; tail as 

 adult ; wing as adult but innermost secondaries and coverts as 

 scapulars ; median and lesser coverts tinged brown and many 

 median coverts edged warm or light buff some with a terminal 

 dusky-black line. N.B. — Buff tips to feathers of upper -parts are 

 more or less lost by abrasion and black tips to feathers of throat 

 also become abraded and throat sometimes becomes more or less 

 white as adult winter. 



First winter. — As adult winter but always distinguished by 

 some worn brown retained juvenile scapulars, worn juvenile tail- 

 feathers and by juvenile innermost secondaries and median coverts 

 with worn buff edges, also by one or two remaining juvenile upper 

 tail-coverts ; primaries, secondaries and their coverts browner. 

 The juvenile body-plumage (not all scapulars), sometimes central 

 pair of tail-feathers, usually some innermost secondaries and their 

 coverts, usually some median and lesser coverts, are moulted Aug. 

 to Dec. but apparently not rest of tail-feathers, nor wings. First 

 summer. — Moult apparently as in adults possibly not so complete ; 

 very little material examined. Like adult, but can be distinguished 

 by browner median and lesser coverts ; tone of mantle and scapulars 

 browner than in freshly moulted adults. In less forward birds 

 breeding plumage is apparently not acquired. 



Measurements and structure. — $ wing 249-275.5 mm., tail 

 100.5-117, tarsus 44-52, bill from feathers 62-75 (12 measured). 

 $ wing 236-265, bill 72-88.5. Primaries : 1st minute, 2nd longest, 

 3rd 4-9.5 mm. shorter, 4th 12-18 shorter, 5th 23-32 shorter, 6th 

 37^48 shorter ; 3rd slightly emarginated outer web. Longest 

 inner secondary between 5th and 7th primaries. Tail slightly 

 rounded, middle and lateral feathers shorter than rest. Bill long, 

 straight, stout and compressed laterally, slightly bent upwards. 

 Nasal groove less than half length of bill. Three toes, outer and 

 middle ones webbed almost up to 2nd joint, inner and middle toes 

 slightly webbed, skin of toes extended laterally. 



Soft parts. — Bill (ad. winter) orange-red, tip reddish-horn, 

 (ad. summer) orange-red or vermilion to tip, tip sometimes reddish- 

 yellow, (juv.) orange-yellow, tip brownish -horn, (1st winter) orange- 

 red, tip blackish-horn ; legs and feet (ad. winter) flesh-pink, 

 (summer) coral-pink, (juv.) greyish-white, (1st winter) pale pink ; 

 iris (ad. winter and summer) vermilion, (juv.) brown, (1st winter) 

 reddish-yellow. 



Characters and allied forms. — H. o. longipes (W. Siberia, W» 



