bartram's sandpiper. 



555 



feathers, tail, innermost secondaries and coverts, some median and 

 lesser coverts are apparently moulted in spring (two birds examined). 

 Coloration as winter. 



Nestling. — Down on fore-head and nape white, blackish at 

 base and more or less tipped sandy-rufous ; crown and rest of 

 upper-parts variegated black-brown, greyish-white and sandy- 

 rufous ; eye-stripe, sides of face and under -parts white, behind 

 eye a small black-brown patch. 



Juvenile. — Like adult but feathers of mantle and scapulars 

 black-brown, edged all round with light or warm buff, with practi- 

 cally no barring except some notches of brown -black on outer edge 

 of scapulars ; median coverts sepia or ash-brown, broadly tipped 

 and notched buff or cream and with a subterminal shading approxi- 

 mating in shape to a semi-circle, sometimes a round patch and 



Bartram's Sandpiper (Bartramia longicauda). Second (outer) primary. 



sometimes an incomplete barring and notching or bordering of 

 dark sepia, shafts brown ; lesser coverts with broader but! edges 

 than adult. Edges to feathers of mantle and scapulars become 

 very abraded but absence of definite barring on scapulars and 

 median coverts appears always to indicate a juvenile. [Only one 

 freshly plumaged juvenile examined.] 



First winter. — As adult winter but distinguished by juvenile 

 median and lesser coverts. Juvenile body-feathers, innermost 

 secondaries and coverts, some median and lesser coverts are moulted 

 Aug. to winter but not rest of wings nor tail. First summer. — 

 Apparently not to be distinguished with certainty from adult. 



Measurements and structure. — $ wing 155-176.5 mm., tail 72- 

 84, tarsus 44-52, bill from feathers 28-32.5 (12 measured). $ wing 

 162-176, bill 28-32. Primaries : 1st minute, 2nd longest, 3rd 

 2.5-4.5 mm. shorter, 4th 9-11.5 shorter, 5th 17-29 shorter, 6th 

 27-37 shorter. Longest inner secondary between 4th and 6th 

 primaries. Tail rounded. Bill straight, short, slender, upper 

 mandible slightly decurved at tip, nasal groove extends two -thirds 

 length of bill. Four toes, outer and middle ones webbed at base 

 almost up to first joint, hind one slightly curved. 



Soft parts. — Bill black ; legs and feet yellow ; iris black. 



Characters. — No subspecies or near allies. Distinguished by black- 

 brown rump and upper tail-coverts, wedge-shaped tail and barred 

 inner webs of primaries. 



Field -characters. — Easily told from any other European Sand- 

 piper by its size, proportionately short bill and noticeably long tail. 



