76 
MEYERS GODWIT. 
length of the bird is near sixteen inches. In the 
summer the top of its head, its nape, back, and sca- 
pulars are dusky brown, the edges of each feather 
spotted with yellowish : the under parts of the body 
(with the exception of the belly, which is pure white) 
are clear reddish-yellow, varied on the sides of the 
breast, of the body, and on the under tail-coverts 
with black streaks : the quills are black, marked 
on their inner webs with white. In the winter 
all the upper parts of the body are of a grey-brown, 
with the head and neck of a deeper grey : the 
fore part of the neck and the top of the breast are 
grey, with transverse dusky stripes : the rest of the 
under parts are pure white, except the sides, which 
are brown, and similarly striped to the upper part of 
the breast : the quills are black : the tail is barred 
with alternate bars of white and dusky ; but on some 
of the feathers they are disposed transversely, and 
upon others longitudinally : the beak is of a dirty 
yellow at its base and dusky at its tip : the legs are 
black. 
Inhabits the muddy banks of rivers towards the 
north, and is occasionally found in Germany : it is 
supposed to breed in the polar regions. 
