V 
i 
*i- 
f) 
»\ 
dull green: naked space on the tibia one inch long: tarsus nearly 
one inch and a half: middle toe without the nail hardly an inch: 
hind toe more than a quarter; the toes webbed at base, the outer 
web reaching to the first joint of the outer toes, the inner being 
hardly visible. 
Wilson’s description of the summer plumage being sufficient, 
we omit it here, though admitting of much more detail: in few 
words it may be stated that however great the apparent difference, 
it may be reduced to this : 1. All those parts that are plain 
cinereous in winter take on a mottled appearance, being strongly 
tinged with reddish, and varied with black and yellowish. 2. The 
anterior parts that are white, such as the superciliar line, and 
breast, become reddish. The strongly characteristic marks of 
the other parts remain unchanged. 
The young birds of the year have the plumage above gene¬ 
rally black, the back of the head dusky, and the feathers broadly 
margined with bright rufous, the superciliar line, and the inferior 
parts are of a dingy white, inclining to rufous; this colour predo¬ 
minates on the breast, where the feathers, as well as on the 
flanks and the superciliar line, have numerous dusky dots : the 
middle tail-feathers are terminated by reddish. 
Notwithstanding the statements of Wilson, we do not perceive 
any difference in plumage in the female, which is merely of a 
larger size. As the species breeds in high northern latitudes, 
visiting the temperate regions of America in spring and autumn, 
on its passage to and from its winter quarters, it is the more 
extraordinary that it should not equally extend these legulai 
migrations to Europe. 
