578 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



Waigatz, etc.) to Norway, and migrates south to Africa and western 

 parts India. Casual Madeira, Canaries, Azores. According to 

 Buturlin to east Asia, where, however, mostly replaced by C. rufi- 

 collis. 



CALIDRIS MINUTILLA 



393. Calidris minutilla (Vieill.)— THE AMERICAN STINT. 



Tringa minutilla Vieillot, Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat., nouv. ed., xxxiv, 

 p. 466 (1819— Nova Scotia to the Antilles). 



Tringa minutilla Vieillot, Yarrell, in, p. 396 ; Saunders, p. 587. 

 Erolia minutilla minutilla (Vieill.), Hand-List (1912), p. 175. 



Description. — Adult male and female. Winter. — Similar to Little 

 Stint but distinguished by having shafts of feathers of upper-breast 

 dusky giving a streaked appearance ; in Little Stint upper-breast 

 is white. This plumage is acquired by complete moult from autumn 

 to Dec. Summer. — The body -feathers, tail-feathers, innermost 

 secondaries and coverts, some median and lesser coverts are 

 moulted March to June and judging by their fresh appearance in 

 some specimens primaries and secondaries are also renewed though 

 none have been examined actually in quill (some worn winter body- 

 feathers are sometimes retained). Upper -parts much darker than 

 in Little Stint, feathers tipped ash-brown (instead of ash-grey) and 

 many edged same, some with narrow edges of pale orange -cinnamon 

 or buff, not broadly edged orange -cinnamon as in Little Stint ; 

 back, rump and upper tail-coverts edged huffish-white instead of 

 orange -cinnamon ; ear-coverts, cheeks, and sides of neck white 

 streaked sepia ; two central pairs of tail-feathers faintly edged warm 

 buff ; wing as winter but innermost secondaries and coverts, new 

 median and lesser coverts sepia edged pale orange -cinnamon. 



Nestling. — (Not examined.) 



Juvenile. — As Little Stint but upper -parts darker ; crown, 

 mantle and scapulars brown-black, feathers edged tawny, some 

 scapulars edged cream ; under -parts as Little Stint but light buff 

 of breast sometimes indistinctly streaked dusky ; wings and tail 

 as in Little Stint. 



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

 edges to median and lesser coverts and tawny edges to innermost 

 median coverts. The juvenile body-plumage (not all scapulars), 

 sometimes tail-feathers, some innermost secondaries and coverts 

 are moulted in autumn but not rest of wings. First summer. — 

 Moult as in adult after which birds become like adults but distin- 

 guished by worn buff edges to retained juvenile wing-coverts. 



Measurements and structure. — $ wing 84-91 mm., tail 35^0, 

 tarsus 17.5-20, bill from feathers 17-19.5 (12 measured). ? wing 

 85-94, bill 17.5-20.5. Primaries : 1st minute, 2nd longest, 3rd 

 equal or 2-3.5 mm. shorter, 4th 3-6 shorter, 5th 9-11.5 shorter, 

 6th 14-18 shorter. Longest inner secondary between 4th and 8th 



