273 
WHIMBREL. 
ochreous white ; the crown, however, is divided 
along' the centre by a streak of paler colour, occa- 
sioned by the feathers being broadly edged with 
white, while on each side they have scarcely any 
pale edging, but form patches of dark hair-brown ; 
the white on the lower part of the back runs far- 
ther up than in the Curlew ; the chin is white and 
unspotted ; the cheeks, neck, and whole under 
parts are also pure white, but thickly and broadly 
dashed with hair-brown, the markings on the 
flanks and upper parts of the belly assuming the 
form of irregular bars ; the vent and under tail- 
coverts only being unspotted, except the appear- 
ance of the hair-like dark shafts ; the axillary 
feathers barred with hair-brown ; the centre tail- 
feathers are pale hair-brown, barred with a darker 
shade, the tint becoming paler and more broken 
up towards the outside, where the ground-colour 
is nearly pure white; the bill is deep blackish- 
brown, tile-red at the base of the maxilla ; the 
legs and feet are bluish-grey, rather more stout 
and proportionally shorter than in the Curlew. 
The above is nearly the colouring of the male bird 
stated previously to have been killed near Kirk- 
cudbright. In the female, shot at the same time, 
the pale tints are all more or less ochreous, and 
the markings on the utidor parts extend only to 
the breast, the centre of the belly, vent, and tail- 
coverts being pure white; the upper tail-coverts 
are also more distinctly barred with hair-brown. 
