286 
LITTLE SANDPIPER. 
considerably longer than the lateral, which are a little longer than the 
intermediate. 
"Rill greenish-dusky ; feet pale dull yellowish-green ; claws black ; iris 
hazel. The feathers on the upper part of the head, and back, including 
the scapulars, smaller wing-coverts, and inner secondaries, black, broadly 
margined with light brownish-red ; some of the scapulars margined externally 
with white, and the larger glossed with green. Alula, primary coverts, 
primary quills, and outer secondaries, greyish-black, all more or less narrowly 
tipped with greyish-white ; secondary coverts largely tipped with the same ; 
the primaries externally edged with the same toward the base, as are the 
other secondaries in a fainter degree, the inner webs of some of the latter 
greyish-white towards the base. Rump and upper tail-coverts black. The 
two middle tail-feathers black, with pale brownish-red margins, the next 
feather on each side greyisli-brown, margined with greyish-white, the outer 
four pale brownish-grey, very narrowly margined externally, more broadly 
round their points and along the inner edges with greyish-white ; lateral 
tail-coverts with the outer web white. From the forehead over the eye to 
the occiput, a band of dull greyish-white, faintly streaked with dusky ; loral 
band brownish-dusky, that colour extending to the ear-coverts ; the rest of 
the cheeks dull greyish-white, faintly streaked with dusky ; the throat 
greyish-white ; the sides and fore part of the neck of the same colour, faintly 
streaked with dusky ; the rest of the lower parts, including theaxillar and 
lateral rump feathers, pure white ; the lower surface of the wing pale 
brownish-grey, the coverts margined and tipped with greyish-white ; the 
shafts of the primaries white. 
Length to end of tail 51 inches, to end of wings 5i, to end of claws 51 ; 
extent of wings 111 ; from tip of bill to carpal joint 2 ; wing from flexure 
3 t 8 2 ; tail lyV ; bill along the ridge ; tarsus ff ; hind toe and claw fj, 
middle toe and claw ; outer toe and claw ; inner ^ shorter. 
Adult Female. 
The female is somewhat larger than the male, but similarly coloured. 
In autumn, previous to the moult, the upper parts are of a darker colour, 
cn account of the wearing of the red margins of the feathers. 
On the roof of the mouth is a series of papilla?, and the tongue is 7 twelfths 
long, extremely slender, and tapering to a fine point. The oesophagus is 
2 inches and 11 twelfths long, 1 twelfth in diameter ; the proventriculus 
enlarged to 24 twelfths, its length 5 twelfths. The stomach is a powerful 
gizzard, h inch long, 4^ twelfths broad ; its lateral muscles large, as are the 
tendons. Its contents were coleopterous and other insects. The epithelium 
longitudinally rugous, and of a brownish-red colour. The intestine of 
