TOWNSEND’S SURF-BIRD. 
229 
first very small and placed higher than the rest ; the anterior toes free to 
the base, distinctly margined on both edges, flat beneath, the inner con- 
siderably shorter than the outer, the third a quarter of an inch longer than 
the latter ; claws rather small, curved, compressed, blunted. 
Plumage full, soft, rather dense, on the neck and lower parts blended. 
Wings very long, narrow and pointed ; primaries with strong shafts, 
narrowed towards the end, the first longest, the rest rapidly decreasing ; 
outer secondaries incurved, obliquely rounded, inner elongated, one of them 
reaching to an inch and two thirds of the tip of the longest primary when 
the wing is closed. Tail rather short, even, of twelve moderately broad, 
rounded feathers. 
Bill dusky towards the end, orange at the base. Feet bluish-green, claws 
black. The general colour of the upper parts is a very dark or blackish- 
grey ; the quills greyish-black ; a broad band of white crosses the wing, occu- 
pying the tips of the primary coverts, the terminal third of the secondary 
coverts, the bases and more or less of the margins and tips of the quills, 
several of the inner secondaries having only a streak of dusky on the inner 
web, but the innermost or elongated quills are destitute of white. The shafts 
of the quills are also white, as are some of the feathers of the rump, the upper 
tail-coverts, the basal half of the tail, of which the rest is black, the feathers 
narrowly edged with white at the end ; the black on the tail is narrower on 
the lateral feathers, and on the outer does not occupy much more than half 
an inch. The throat is greyish-white ; the cheeks, sides, and fore part of 
the neck, and the anterior part of the breast dull grey, of a lighter tint than 
the back ; the rest of the lower parts white, with small longitudinal oblong 
dark grey streaks ; the axillaries and lower wing-coverts white, those at 
the edge of the wing dark grey, with white margins. 
Length to end of tail 11 inches ; bill from flexure lft, along the edge of 
lower mandible 1^1 ; wing from flexure 7§ ; tail 3 T 2 2 ; tarsus 1 T | ; hind toe 
t 2 2 , its claw fa; middle toe V|, its claw T V 
The prominence on the terminal part of the upper mandible gives the bill 
somewhat of the appearance of that of a Plover, but in other respects it more 
resembles that of the Turnstone, the plumage agrees with that of the latter 
bird, and the colouring is very similar to its winter dress. This species in 
short seems intermediate between Tringa and Strepsilas, but is much more 
allied to the latter, with which it agrees in form and proportions, the princi- 
pal differences being in the tail, which is not rounded, but even, in the want 
of scutella on the tarsi, and in the form of the bill at its extremity, the upper 
mandible in place of being a little recurvate and depressed, having its extre- 
mity arched and the point a little decurved. Were the latter worn off, it 
would agree with that of Strepsilas. Conceiving this bird to present cha* 
Vol. Y. 32 
