554 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



eastwards to Alaska. Winters on coasts of Europe, Africa, Asia, 

 Oceania and Australia. Casual Franz Josef Island. Replaced by 

 a very closely allied form in arctic America, which migrates south 

 to California, Central and S. America. 



Genus BARTRAMIA Less. 



Bartramia Lesson, Traite d'Orn., livr. 7, p. 553 (1831 — Monotype: 

 B. laticauda — longicauda). 



Tail very long, wedge-shaped, longer than or at least fully as 

 long as half length of wing and almost three times as long as culmen. 

 Bill straight, tip decurved. Groove in upper mandible extending 

 about two -thirds length of bill. Tarsus scutellated in front and 

 behind, but some hexagonal scales just below tibio-tarsal joint. 

 Hind toe well developed. 1 species only. 



BARTRAMIA LONGICAUDA 



386. Bartramia longicauda (Bechst).— BARTRAM'S SANDPIPER. 



Tringa longicauda Bechstein, Allg. Ueb. Vogel, iv, ii, p. 453 (1811 — 



N. America) 



Bartramia longicauda (Bechstein), Yarrell, in, p. 440 ; Saunders, p. 603. 



Description. — Adult male and female. Winter. — Crown streaked 

 sepia, feathers broadly edged buff ; nape same but streaks narrower ; 

 mantle and scapulars sepia glossed olive, feathers edged sandy- 

 brown or buff, those of mantle with subterminal bars and scapulars 

 more or less barred black-brown ; back and rump black-brown ; 

 central upper tail-coverts black, notched and tipped cream, lateral 

 ones cream-buff streaked black-brown ; ear-coverts, cheeks and 

 sides of neck buff, narrowly streaked sepia ; chin and throat white ; 

 lower -throat and upper-breast cream or buff boldly streaked sepia ; 

 lower-breast and flanks cream or buff with Y-shaped sepia bars ; 

 rest of under-parts cream, outer tail-coverts with a few sepia bars ; 

 axillaries and under wing-coverts white narrowly barred black- 

 brown ; two central pair tail-feathers dark ash, barred black-brown 

 and edged light buff, remainder sandy-isabelline shading to white 

 on outer webs, broadly tipped same with a few black-brown bars ; 

 primaries dark sepia, inner webs more or less white barred sepia, 

 2nd with white shaft (remainder shafts brown) and outer web often 

 notched white, 7th and succeeding tipped white, inner ones notched 

 white and sometimes dark sepia, on outer webs ; secondaries sepia, 

 paler on inner webs, tipped and notched white or buff, sometimes 

 with obsolete dark sepia bars, innermost as scapulars ; primary- 

 coverts black-brown ; greater and median coverts sepia, broadly 

 edged buff and barred black-brown ; lesser coverts sepia edged buff, 

 some with subterminal black-brown bars. This plumage is acquired 

 by complete moult Aug. to Jan., body-moult apparently commences 

 Aug. and wing -moult takes place Dec. and Jan. when occasionally 

 some body-feathers are also renewed. Summer. — The body- 



