574 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



feathers edged white or buff ; mantle and scapulars black-brown or 

 sepia, feathers edged cream or warm buff, scapulars darker sub- 

 terminally ; back and rump ash-brown, feathers with faint buff 

 tips ; upper tail-coverts as adult but with faint terminal dusky 

 lines ; ear -coverts, cheeks and sides of neck cream or white streaked 

 dusky ; lower -throat and breast pale or pronounced buff, feathers of 

 lower -throat and sides of breast with dusky shafts giving a streaked 

 appearance ; flanks and belly pale buff or white ; remaining under- 

 pays as adult winter ; tail-feathers as adult but more broadly 

 tipped white or buff ; wing as adult but innermost secondaries and 

 coverts as scapulars ; median and lesser coverts pale sepia or ash- 

 brown edged buff. 



First winter. — As adult winter but distinguished by buff edges 

 of median (especially innermost) and lesser coverts. The juvenile 

 body -feathers (not all scapulars nor all feathers of back and rump), 

 sometimes central pair of tail-feathers, innermost secondaries and 

 coverts, some median and lesser coverts are moulted Sept. to Dec, 

 but apparently not rest of tail nor of wings. First summer. — Not 

 examined. Some birds shot in spring were in full moult into winter 

 plumage and were moulting remiges as well. 



Measurements and structure. — $ wing 122-137 mm., tail 41-49, 

 tarsus 27-31.5, bill from feathers 33-42 (12 measured). $ wing 

 125-135, bill 31-42. Primaries : 1st minute, 2nd longest, 3rd 2.5-5 

 mm. shorter, 4th 9.5-12 shorter, 5th 18-21 shorter, 6th 27-32 

 shorter. Longest inner secondary between 5th and 6th primaries. 

 Bill longer than head, slender, tapering, considerably decurved 

 towards tip. Other structure as in C. a. alpina. 



Soft parts. — Bill olivaceous -black ; legs olivaceous tinged 

 brown ; iris black-brown. 



Characters. — No subspecies recognized. White upper tail -co verts 

 and decurved bill are distinctive characters. 



Field -characters. — Occurs in spring and autumn on mud -flats 

 and in estuaries, and, less frequently, on sewage-farms and shores of 

 inland waters. Among Dunlins, with which it usually consorts, is 

 identified by its longer legs, slender form, graceful pose and upright 

 carriage, and, in flight, by its white rump, at a distance too great to 

 make out the longer, finer and more decurved bill. Chestnut colour 

 of adult in spring is unmistakable. Most autumn birds are im- 

 mature, and differ from adults — grey above and white below — by 

 broad pale buff edges of feathers of back and pinkish-buff tinge on 

 breast and flanks. Coward says flocks in autumn maintain a low 

 twitter. Miss Haviland describes alarm-note at breeding-places as 

 a shrill " wick-wick-wick." 



Breeding-habits. — A bird of the arctic tundra. Nest. — A deepish 

 hollow in moss on a dry ridge, often several pairs breeding not far 

 apart. Eggs. — Normally 4, sometimes 3 only ; ground-colour 

 greenish-grey, with rich dark red-brown blotches and spots and 

 purplish shellmarks. Average of 12 eggs, 36.7x25.6. Max. : 39.6 



