872 
ON THE DIFFERENT SPECIES OF 
pale brown, each of the feathers being of this colour along 
the shaft near the end. Upper surface in general marked 
with transverse irregular zigzags of pale brown, deepening 
toward the tail, each feather being marked with several 
alternate bands of whitish tinged with ash and yellow, and 
of pale brown, the tip whitish-yellow. On the tail the bars 
are partially substituted by irregular spots. Primary quills 
irregularly marked with small spots. Under surface con- 
fusedly mottled with very pale brown, tinged with ash-grey 
and yellowish-white. 
Note. — The above description is made up from a com- 
parison of three different specimens, two of which are in 
the Museum, and the third is from the last Expedition 
under Captain Parry. The two first are British specimens, 
one of them from Shetland, the other supposed to be from 
Orkney. In another specimen, also from Shetland, in the 
possession of Mr Thomas Torrie, to whom it was pre- 
sented by Mr Edmondston, the dimensions and tints were 
as follows : 
Beak 2| long, |ths deep; tarsus 2|, toe 2| ; length 31, 
extent 63. In this specimen there is a greater predominance 
of ash-grey in the tints of the plumage, the inner webs of 
the quills are nearly pure pearl-grey, and the outer webs 
of the four first primaries are nearly free of spots. Beak 
wine-yellow along the edges, tinged with dusky above and 
below, and brownish-black toward the end. 
It is not known whether the above descriptions of the 
young birds, be of the first or second winter plumage, al- 
though from analogy they might be supposed to be of the 
second, on account of the large proportion of light colour 
on the beak. 
Manners and food. — The only account we have of the 
manners of this species is that given by Mr Edmomdston 
