92 
BRITISH BIRDS. 
more diflinftly marked or ftreaked with fpots of 
the fame colour ; on the bread: and belly, which are 
white, tinged with afli, the fpots are thinly dillri- 
buted, and are fliaped fomething like the heads 
of arrows or darts. The general appearai^ce of the 
upper parts of the plumage is gloffy olive brown ; 
fome of the feathers are quite plain, others fpotted 
on the edges with dark brown, and thofe on the 
flioulders, fcapulars, and tertials are tranfverfely 
marked with the fame coloured waved bars, on a 
pale rufty ground : the baftard wing and primary 
quills are dark brown ^ the inner webs of the latter 
are deeply edged with white, freckled with brown, 
and fome of thofe quills next the fecondaries are 
elegantly marked, near their tips, with narrow 
brown lines, pointed and fliaped to the form of each 
feather : fome of the fecondaries are barred in near- 
ly the fame manner, others are white : back white : 
the tail feathers and coverts are beautifully marked 
with alternate bars of dufl<^y and white, the middle 
ones nightly tinged with rufl colour : legs red, and 
meafure from the end of the toes to the upper bare 
part of the thigh, four inches and a half. 
This fpecies is of a folitary charafler, being mofl:- 
ly feen alone, or in pairs only. It refides the great- 
er part of the year in the fen countries, in the wet 
and marfliy groudids, where it breeds and rears its 
young. It lays four eggs, whiteifli, tinged with olive, 
and marked with irregular fpots of black, chiefly 
