PURPLE OR ROCK SANDPIPER. 239 
tail itself is much cuneated, the centre feathers 
blackish-grey, the others greyish wood-brown, be- 
coming paler on the outer pairs. The lower parts to 
the breast are greyish hair-brown, paler on the chin, 
and on the breast haying the feathers broadly edged 
with white ; the remaining under parts are pure 
white, on the centre of the belly and vent unspotted; 
but on the flanks and under tail-coverts having 
each feather broadly marked in the centre with hair- 
brown ; bill brownish-black, pink or nearly reddish- 
orange at the base and gape ; the legs and feet are 
ochreous yellow. The entire length of the specimen 
alluded to, is from eight to nine inches ; one before 
us being eight and a-lialf, the other nine inches. 
In a specimen in summer plumage, purchased some 
time since from Mr. Carfrae in Edinburgh, and said 
by him to have been procured from Hudson’s Bay, 
the head and back are deep purplish -black, the 
feathers on the head broadly edged with reddish- 
orange, on the back and scapulars deeply cut into 
with a paler shade of the same colour and tipped 
with white ; the wings, including the tertials, the 
rump and tail, are as in the winter state ; the back 
of the neck is pale wood-brown, tinted with rufous, 
each feather greyisli-black in the centre ; beneath, 
the colour is generally a greyish-white, each feather 
in the neck and breast marked angularly with 
brownish-black, in the centre of the belly crossed 
near the tips with a broad black bar, and though 
interrupted, showing there the rudiment of the 
dark band prevailing among many of the plovers, 
