TURNSTONE. 
55 
olive colour; some much and others only a little spotted, 
principally about the obtuse end, with dark grey, olive brown, 
and black, or reddish brown of two shades. They are cleverly 
concealed. 
The bird has an elegant piebald appearance, but in winter 
\the colours are more dull. They vary very much in plumage 
according to age and the season of the year, intermediate 
shades occurring in each gradation of change. In the 
spring they are very beautiful, but in August begin to lose 
their brilliancy. Male; weight, rather more than four ounces; 
length, nine inches and a little over; bill, thick at the base, 
black, strong, and turned a little upwards. The upper mandible 
is rather longer that the lower one. Iris, dark brown; below 
it is a black patch, which curves upwards to the base of the 
lower bill, encircling a white spot at the base of the upper 
one; backwards it goes downwards to meet another which 
originates at the base of the lower bill; behind the eye is 
a small black streak or mark; over the eye is white. Forehead, 
black, reaching to the eye on each side in the line aforesaid; 
crown, white, with black feather shafts; neck on the back, 
white, on the sides rich black; nape, white; chin, white. 
Throat, rich black, from which a black collar extends backwards 
to the back of the neck, where that from each side meets. 
Breast above, rich black, partly separated from the black of 
the throat by a white patch or spot, below white; back above, 
black, intermixed with red rust-coloured feathering, forming 
irregular rows; below white, with a bar of black over the 
tail coverts. 
The wings have the first quill feather a little longer than 
the second, and the longest; underneath they are white; the 
axillary plume white; greater wing coverts, black, edged with 
red or dark brown orange, and tipped with white, but the 
whole plumage varies much with the season of the year. In 
like manner the lesser wing coverts are dusky and dark red, 
the edges pale; primaries, greyish black, the shafts white at 
the base; secondaries with broad white tips, forming a distinct 
bar across the wings; tertiaries, long, and nearly black, tipped 
and spotted with red, or dark brownish orange. Tail, at the 
base, white, the remainder greyish black, tipped with white, 
with the exception of the two middle feathers; the outer 
feather is white; upper tail coverts, white. Legs and toes, 
rich orange red; claws, black, The hind toe articulated on 
the inner surface of the tarsus, and directed inwards towards 
