THE SPOTTED SANDPIPER. 



611 



but ear-coverts and sides of neck usually uniform greyish olive -brown; 

 lower -throat white with faint olive-brown shaft -streaks, not 

 definitely streaked as Common Sandpiper ; second pair of tail- 

 feathers (from outside) with very little white (not white barred 

 sepia as Common Sandpiper) ; wing as Common Sandpiper but 8th 

 and 9th secondaries with a broad sepia band across middle and 

 only tips and bases white ; greater coverts with narrower white tips. 

 This plumage is acquired by complete moult, body-moult com- 

 mencing June, while birds moulting remiges occur in every month 

 from Sept. to April. Summer. — The body -feat hers, tail, innermost 

 secondaries and coverts, usually 

 most median and some lesser 

 coverts are moulted Feb. to May. 

 Upper -parts more broadly barred 

 than in Common Sandpiper ; 

 under -parts white heavily spotted 

 black - brown ; tail - feathers as 

 winter but usually with obsolete 

 black -brown bars ; innermost 

 secondaries and new wing-coverts 

 as upper - parts. N.B. — In late 

 summer under - parts become 

 whiter owing to abrasion of spots. 



Nestling. — Apparently indis- 

 tinguishable from nestling Com- 

 mon Sandpiper. 



Juvenile. — Very like juvenile Common Sandpiper but feathers 

 of mantle with less distinct subterminal sepia borders ; ear-coverts 

 and sides of neck uniform greyish olive-brown ; throat white not 

 streaked as Common Sandpiper ; tail-feathers with less barring ; 

 8th and 9th secondaries as adult ; innermost secondaries and coverts 

 except at tip without the sepia and buff notches along border of 

 outer webs present in Common Sandpiper. 



First winter. — Apparently indistinguishable from adult winter. 

 The juvenile body-feathers, tail, innermost secondaries and coverts, 

 some median and lesser coverts are moulted Sept. to Jan. but 

 apparently not rest of wings. 



Measurements and structure. — £ wing 101-110 mm., tail 45-52, 

 tarsus 20-23, bill from feathers 20-25 (12 measured). $ wing 105- 

 115, bill 22-25. Primaries : 1st minute, 2nd longest, 3rd equal or 

 2.5 to 3.5 mm. shorter, 4th 5.5-8 shorter, 5th 12-15 shorter, 6th 

 20-22 shorter. Longest inner secondary varying in length between 

 5th and 2nd primaries. Other structure as in Common Sandpiper. 



Soft parts. — Bill brown-black, base flesh-colour ; legs pale 

 greenish -yellow or greenish -olive ; iris brown. 



Characters. — No subspecies. Only to be confused with Common 

 Sandpiper from which it is distinguished as described. 



Field -characters. — Round black spots on under-parts worn only 



Stli and 9th secondaries of— A. The Spotted 

 Sandpiper (Tringa macularia). B. The 

 Common Sandpiper (7\ Jiypoleucos). 



