272 
allen’s naturalist’s library. 
plumes, and looking like an ordinary Tattler or Sandpiper. 
Ashy-brown above, the feathers fringed with whitish, the centres 
of which are dusky-brown ; lesser and median wing coverts like 
the back ; the greater coverts blackish with a slight greenish- 
gloss, and broadly tipped with white ; bastard-wing and prim- 
ary-c(3verts blackish; quills brown, with white shafts, the 
outer webs and tips of the feathers blackish, the secondaries 
white at the base of the inner webs, and fringed with white at 
their ends ; the innermost secondaries browner, like the scapu- 
lars ; lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts a little darker 
brown than the rest of the back, with darker brown centres to 
the feathers ; tail-feathers dark brown, the tips and the shafts 
white; crown of head and neck light brown, with dark 
centres to the feathers; lores and cheeks ashy-white; ear- 
coverts and neck light brown with dusky streaks ; under surface 
of body white, the lower throat and chest mottled, with ashy 
bases to the feathers, and the sides of the body marked in a 
similar manner ; axillaries and under wing-coverts, white, the 
lower primary-coverts and quill-lining ashy-grey ; bill dark 
brown, paler at the gape; feet yellowish-brown; iris dark 
brown. Total length, 12 inches; culmen, 1-3; wing, 74; 
tail, 2-6; tarsus, I'S. 
Adult Eemale in Winter Plumage. — Similar to the male, but much 
smaller. Total length, 10-5 inches; culmen, ra; wing, 6-i ; 
tail, 2-15; tarsus, I’SS. 
Adult Female, in Summer Plumage. — Much darker than in winter, 
the feathers of the upper surface being blackish wiA a purplish 
gloss, but no ornamental feathers present, as in the male. 
Otherwise the summer plumage of the female, as regards the 
colour of the body, shows a strong similarity to that of the 
male. 
Young Birds.— Resemble the winter plumage of the male, but 
are much more tawny-rufous, and have sandy-buff or whitish 
mart^ins to the feathers of the upper surface ; hind-neck more 
ashy“than the back ; sides of face, lower throat, and fore-neck 
pale cinnamon-buff, the chin whiter ; chest and sides of body 
ashy-grey, marked with cinnamon-buff, the rest of the vmder- 
parts white. Total wing, T°-T^ inches. 
