THE TURNSTONE. 553 



length of bill. Four toes, claw of middle one with inner side 

 slightly dilated. 



Soft parts. — Bill black ; legs and feet deep orange, (juv.) 

 brownish -yellow ; iris brown. 



Characters and allied forms. — A. i. morinella (Arctic N. 

 America) is smaller and has more chestnut on upper -parts. A. 

 melanocephala (Western N. America) has in summer upper-parts 

 uniform bronzy brown -black, in winter and juvenile chin and throat 

 dusky-brown. Peculiar bill, white chin, throat and back, together 

 with in winter and juvenile dusky-black, and in summer chestnut 

 and black upper-parts distinguish Turnstone. 



Field -characters. — Seldom occurs away from coast, where 

 pebble -ridges, tangle -covered rocks, and tide-line on sandy shores 

 are resorted to rather than mud -flats. Orange-red legs and tortoise- 

 shell plumage are characteristic, but broken colour -pattern makes 

 little parties — they seldom pack in large flocks — invisible on shingle 

 or among broken rocks. Appearance in flight, which is wavering 

 and rather slow, boldly pied. Note on the wing a thin crackling 

 chatter. Alarm-note " tche, tche." 



Breeding-habits. — Nests on islands or near coast, making hardly 

 any nest beyond a scrape in ground with occasionally a few stalks 

 or bents. In high north usually breeds on quite exposed rocky 

 ground, but further south often under shelter of growing plants, 

 bushes, stones, and in one case down a Puflin burrow. Eggs. — 

 Usually 4, sometimes 3 only, varying in ground-colour from greyish 

 to greenish or brownish, spotted and blotched with dark brown and 

 underlying ashy-purple. Average of 100 eggs, 40.5x29.2. Max. : 

 44.5x30.4 and 43.2x31.3. Min. : 36x28.2 and 40.5x26 mm. 

 Breeding -season. — Begins early June in south and from mid- June 

 onward in north. Incubation. — By both sexes, but female takes 

 much greater share. Period not ascertained. Single brooded. 



Food. — Small mollusca, chiefly univalves ; small Crustacea (Gam- 

 maridse) and miscellaneous matter thrown up on shore, including 

 fragments of fish and fish fry, but chiefly insects, including coleop- 

 tera, diptera (Tipulidce and larvae of Chironomidce) , hymenoptera, 

 larvae of lepidoptera (Argynnis chariclea and Dasychira grainlandica). 

 Also spiders and acarids, as well as vegetable matter, especially at 

 high latitudes (seeds of Draba, seaweed, etc.). 



Distribution. — British Isles. — Winter-visitor and passage -migrant 

 (late July to mid-Nov. and mid-March to early June). Widely 

 distributed all coasts chiefly autumn and spring but many stay 

 winter, especially in south England and Ireland. Non -breeding 

 birds frequently observed throughout summer. Occasionally 

 inland on passage. Supposed, but never proved, to have bred on 

 several occasions. 



Distribution. — Abroad. — Breeds in Greenland, Iceland, Spits- 

 bergen, arctic Europe, south to Cattegat and Baltic, and N. Asia, 



