COMMON SANDERLING. 



49 i 



and the whole of the under parts of the body, are 

 pure white : the edge of the wings and the quills 

 are black, their coverts edged with white : the 

 base of the quills and the shafts are pure white : 

 the tail-feathers are grey, edged with white : beak, 

 irides, and feet, black. This is the autumnal and 

 winter plumage ; in the spring it gains the fol- 

 lowing. The face and top of the head are marked 

 with large black spots, and the feathers are bor- 

 dered with red, and slightly with white : the neck, 

 the breast, and the upper parts of the sides, are 

 grey-red, with the middle of each feather spotted 

 with black, and their tips whitish : the back and 

 scapulars are deep rufous, with large black spots, 

 and the whole of the feathers edged and tipped 

 with white : the wing-coverts are dusky brown, 

 undulated with rufous : the two middle tail-feathers 

 are black, edged with greyish red : the belly and 

 the rest of the under parts are pure white. The 

 young before moulting have the top of the head, 

 back, scapulars, and wing-coverts, black : the 

 whole of the feathers are edged and spotted with 

 yellowish : between the beak and eye is dusky 

 brown : the nape, sides of the neck and of the 

 breast, are bright grey, with delicate undulated 

 stripes : the forehead, throat, fore-part of the 

 neck, and whole of the under parts of the body, 

 are pure white : the edge of the wing, the quills, 

 and tail, are similar to the adults. 



This seems to be a pretty general inhabitant 

 of the globe, being found in Europe, Asia, and 



