THE GODWITS. 
3II 
those on the outer tail-feathers considerably broken up ; lower 
back, rump, and upper tail-coverts pure white with a few 
arrow-head-shaped markings and bars, more distinct on the 
upper tail-coverts ; head and neck light ashy-brown, streaked 
with lines of darker brown, the sides of the face speckled with 
light-brown ; under surface of body pure white, with a few 
streaks of brown on the lower throat, sides of l^rcast, and sides 
of body, where the streaks take the form of arrow-liead-shaped 
markings; on the chest a few obsolete dusky cross-bars; 
axillaries and under-wing coverts white, the former with twin 
spots of blackish-brown ; the centre tail-feathers ashy-brown 
with a few remains of darker brown mottlings, the rest of the 
feathers notched and barred with white on the inner webs, and 
usually uniform on the outer webs. 
Young Birds. — Resemble the adults in winter plumage, but 
are much more fulvescent, and especially of an ashy-fulvous 
shade over the lower throat and chest, and more decidedly 
fulvous on the sides of the body. The whole of the upper 
surface is mottled with rufous-buff in the shape of tawny 
notches to most of the feathers, and the whole of the tail is 
regularly barred across with dusky-brown and bufify-whitish, 
the bands being about seven in number. 
Range in Great Britain. — Although the present species does 
not breed in Great Britain, it passes on migration in con- 
siderable numbers, especially in autumn. It is, however, some- 
what local in its distribution, for while this Godwit is found in 
winter sparingly in the eastern and southern counties of Eng- 
land, Mr. Abel Chapman has observed it in thousands on the 
coast of Northumberland, even in very severe weather. On 
the return migration in spring it is often seen in the south- 
eastern counties of England, and as far north as Norfolk ; but 
it becomes rarer in Scotland, on the west coast of which country 
it is very local, though it is tolerably plentiful in Ireland during 
autumn and winter, receiving an accession of numbers in the 
spring, particularly on the west coast. (Cf. Saunders, “ Manual,” 
p. 607.) 
Range outside the British Islands. — The Bar-tailed Godwit 
breeds as far west as Finland and Lapland, and occurs as 
far east as the Yenesei Valley. In winter it migrates to the 
