THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
Adult, in lointer-plumage. Similar, on the upper-parts, to the adult in breeding-plumage, 
but differs in the absence of the white on the forehead, line over the eye, and the 
sides of the neck, as also the white patch on the sides of the upper-breast. It is 
further distinguished on the under-parts by the absence of black on the throat, 
sides of face, middle of the breast and abdomen, these parts being streaked with 
brown and buff on the sides of the face and throat, and dusky brown with twin 
buff spots on the breast and sides of the body ; the feathers on the lower flanks 
dull- white barred with dusky -brown ; under tail-coverts white inclining to buff on the 
lateral ones. The moult from the summer- to the winter-plumage in this species 
is similar to that of Squatarola squatarola. 
Nest. “ A mere hollow in the ground upon a piece of turfy land, overgrown with moss 
and lichen, and lined with broken stalks of reindeer moss ” (Seebohm). 
Eggs. “ Clutch four ; ground colour pale buff, spotted and blotched with rich purphsh 
brown, with a few underlying ones of inky-grey. Axis 1.85 to 1.92 mm. Diameter 
1.27 to 1.32.” (Seebohm.) 
Breeding-season. June (Middendorff), July (Seebohm). 
Mr. J. P. Rogers writing from Derby, North-west Australia, says : 
“ These birds are rare here only about six or eight seen. Some on the beach 
and two out on a plain. They are tamer than other species of waders. At 
Point Torment they were rare in December, but became more plentiful in 
February of 1911, and remained so till about 26th of March. By the 21st of 
April they had all left. They feed out on the grassy flats as well as on the 
beach.” The same naturahst found them on Melville Island, Northern 
Territory, on November 2nd, 1911, where they were much tamer than those 
found in North-west Austrafla. None were seen after February 3rd, 1912. 
Captain S. A. White writes : “ This bird makes its appearance each year 
along the coast of Queensland in October, and works down along the coast to 
Tasmania and Kangaroo Island. It often appears in half breeding plumage 
but later on in the year loses aU the black markings.” 
Mr. J. W. Mellor records that he has shot specimens at the mouth of 
the Port Adelaide River, “ where they were running over the mud flats at 
low tide. This was in December, when they are in their non-breeding plumage. 
I saw them in the Capricorn Islands, off Queensland, in October, 1910. 
Some of the specimens were partly in breeding plumage. They apparently 
had just arrived from the north as they were not in good condition ; later 
in the year they become very fat, and then it is with difficulty that they are 
skinned without soihng the feathers with grease and oil.” 
Mr. Tom Carter says : “A more numerous species than the preceding, 
arriving and departing about the same dates. This species mostly seeks 
its food about high-water mark in the debris of seaweed, etc. I noted them 
at Albany, South-west Australia in February and March, and at Devonport 
in North Tasmania in the middle of February.” 
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