2 
BRITISH BIRDS* 
neck, and on each fide of the upper part of the 
breafl ; back, fcapulars, and greater coverts, brown- 
ifh afh, edged with dull white, and irregularly 
marked with dark brown fpots. The pinions, 
leffer coverts, and baftard- wings, dark brown ; the 
quills, which extend beyond the tail, are of the 
fame colour on their exterior webs and points, ex- 
cept four of the middle ones, which are white on 
the outer webs, forming, when the wing is clofed, 
a fharp wedge-fhaped fpot ; inner webs brownifli 
afh ; the fecondary quills brown, tipped with white ; 
the rump and tail coverts are alfo brown, edged 
with dirty white ; the tail feathers brownifh afh, 
edged with a lighter colour, the two middle ones 
much darker than the reft ; the throat, fore part of 
the neck, breafl, belly, thighs and vent are whiter 
the toes and legs black, and bare a little above the 
knees. This bird is of a ,flender form, and its plu- 
mage has a hoary appearance among the Stints, 
with which it affociates on the fea-fhore, in various 
parts of Great-Britain. It wants the hinder toe, 
and has, in other refpeds, the look of the Plover 
and Dotterel, to which family it belongs. 
Latham fays, this bird, like the Purre, and fome 
others, varies confiderably, either from age or the 
feafon ; for thofe he received in Augufl, had the 
upper parts dark afh-coloured, and the feathers 
deeply edged with a ferruginous colour ; but others 
fent to him in January were of a plain dove-co- 
