PURRE OR DUNLIN - . 
231 
In two specimens, the one killed on the Frith of 
Forth, in the winter dress, the other procured in 
the south, in the complete summer or breeding 
dress, the entire length is respectively eight inches 
and seven and a-half. In the winter state, the 
plumage above is hair-brown, the feathers slightly 
darker in the centres, those of the wings being 
nearly clove-brown, on the shoulders, greater co- 
verts, and long tertials, edged with greyish-white ; 
the hair-brown of the upper parts extends across 
the breast, becoming paler in the centre, and having 
the shafts of each feather dark ; the chin, throat, 
belly, and vent, pure white ; the rump and upper 
tail-coverts clove-brown, edged with rufous ; the tail 
itself very much cuneated, hair-brown, with the ex- 
ception of the centre feathers proportionally longer 
than the others, and which are clove-brown. In the 
dress of the breeding season, the colours are very dif- 
ferent. Above, the head and neck are greyish-white, 
each feather marked with clove-brown in the centre, 
and on the crown and nape tinted with orange-red ; 
on the whole back and mantle the feathers are red- 
dish-black, broadly edged with reddish-orange, at 
the tips paler, and approaching to greyish-white ; 
the chin is white ; the fore part and sides of the 
neck and breast are greyish-white, the centre of 
each feather marked with an oval black spot ; the 
flanks and under tail-coverts pure white, sparingly 
marked with longitudinal black streaks; the centre 
of the belly, so far back as the insertion of the 
thighs, brownish- black, each feather narrowly tipped 
