O-Z TOTAMUS SEMIPALMATUS. 
worms, and other aquatic insects ; in search of wbi'* 
it regnlarly resorts to the muddy shores .and flats > 
lovv water; its general rendezvous being the marshf?- 
This bird has a summer and also a winter dress, ( 
colours diflfering so much in these seasons as scartv 
to appear to he the same species. Its spring ^ 
summer plumage, in a good specimen, is as follows 
Length, fifteen inches ; extent, thirty inches ; npf 
parts, dark olive brown ; the feathers, streaked do'*' 
the centre, and crossed with waving linos of hla^^ 
wing-coverts, light olive ash, and the whole upp' 
parts sprinkled with touches of dull yellowish whf' 
primaries, black, white at the root half; secondat''' 
white, bordered with brown ; rump, dark brown ; 
rounded, twelve feathers, pale olive, waved with K 
of black ; tail-coverts, white, barred with olive ; 
pale lead colour, becoming black towards the tip ; 
very black ; chin, white ; breast, beautifully mott*^ 
with transverse spots of olive on a cream o-rou'’’ 
belly and vent, white, the last barred with olive ; 
and feet, pale lead colour ; toes, half webbed. 
Towards the fall, when these birds associate in la^ 
flocks, they become of a pale dun colour above, 
plumage being shafted wdth dark brown, and the 
white, or nearly so. At this season they are extreie^' 
fat, and esteemed excellent eating. Experie''*^ 
gunners always select the lightest coloured ones 
a flock, as being uniformly the fattest. 
The female of this species is generally laro'er 1^', 
the male. In the months of October and NoveiB^' 
they gradually disappear. 
