120 
BRITISH BIRDS. 
is dark brown ; hence there is a more or lefs mot- 
tied and ftreaked appearance in different birds.^ 
The upper fide of the fcapulars, next the back, 
are deep brown, edged with bright ferruginous ; 
tertials, rump, and tail coverts nearly the fame : 
baflard wing, primary and fecondary quills, deep 
brown : leffer coverts brown, edged with yellowifli 
white : greater coverts of nearly the fame colour^ 
but tipped with white : the throat, breafl, belly, 
and vent, white : the two middle feathers of the 
tail are dufky, the reft afh-coloured : legs, thighs, 
and toes black, inclining to green. The female 
has not the bright ferruginous edged feathers on 
the upper fcapulars, and her whole plumage is more 
uniformly of a brownifh afh-colour, mixed with 
grey. 
The Purre, with others of the fame genus, ap- 
pears in great numbers on the fea-fhores, in vari- 
ous parts of Great Britain, during the winter fea- 
fon : they run nimbly near the edges of the flow- 
ing and retiring waves, and are almoft perpetually 
wagging their tails, whilft they are, at the fame time 
bufily employed in picking up their food,, which con- 
flfts chiefly of fmall worms and infects. On tak- 
ing flight, they give a kind of fcream, and Ikim 
along near the furface of the water with great rapi- 
dity, as well as with great regularity ; they do not 
fly diredly forward, but perform their evolutions 
in large femicircles, alternately in their fweep ap- 
