THE RED-BREASTED SANDPIPER. 601 



as in Snipes, almost exactly under eye. Wings long and pointed. 

 Tail almost square, but central rectrices a little longer. Tarsus 

 much shorter than bilj, on both sides scutellated. 4 toes, well 

 developed web between middle and outer, shorter between middle 

 and inner. 2 species, one with two subspecies. 



MACRORHAMPHUS GRISEUS 



403. Macrorhamphus griseus griseus (Gm.) — THE RED-BREASTED 

 SANDPIPER. 



Scolopax grisea Gmelin, Syst. Nat., 1, ii, p. 658 (1789 — Coast of New 



York). 



Macrorhamphus griseus (Gmelin), Yarrell, in, p. 357 ; Saunders, p. 621. 



Description. — Adult male and female. Winter. — Crown, nape, 

 mantle and scapulars ash-brown, feathers with brown shafts and 

 edged greyish-white ; back in some more or less white, in others 

 with large spots or markings of black-brown as rump ; upper tail- 

 coverts white barred black-brown ; eye-stripe, ear-coverts, sides 

 of neck, chin, throat and upper -breast white streaked and clouded 

 ash -brown ; flanks white barred ash-brown ; belly and vent white ; 

 under tail-coverts, axillaries and under wing-coverts white irregu- 

 larly barred and marked ash-brown ; tail-feathers broadly barred 

 white and sepia (barring sometimes obsolete) ; primaries sepia, 

 shaft of 2nd white, of remainder brown, inner feathers irregularly 



&m 



The Red-breasted Sandpiper (Macrorhamphus g. griseus). Bill from above. 



marked white on both webs and tipped same ; secondaries ash- 

 brown edged and irregularly marked white ; innermost and their 

 coverts as mantle ; primary-coverts black-brown narrowly tipped 

 white ; greater coverts sepia broadly edged and sometimes marked 

 white ; median and lesser coverts sepia edged white. This plumage 

 is acquired by complete moult Aug. to Feb. Summer. — The body- 

 feathers (not all scapulars and only a few scattered feathers on back 

 and rump), central pair of tail-feathers, innermost secondaries and 

 coverts, median and lesser coverts are moulted Feb. to June (one 

 still getting a few new feathers on mantle in June) but not rest of 

 wings or tail-feathers, some winter body -feat hers are sometimes 

 retained. Crown, nape, mantle and scapulars black-brown edged 

 pink-cinnamon, mantle and scapulars barred same ; new feathers 

 of back, rump and upper tail-coverts suffused same ; eye-stripe 

 light buff ; ear-coverts, cheeks, sides of neck and sides of breast 



