COMMON SANDPIPEK. 
165 
of space, as rendered expedient by their large size in pro¬ 
portion to that of the bird. The young are hatched in 
about fourteen days, and leave the nest almost immediately. 
They quickly learn to hide themselves in the nearest covert, 
and in about a month are able to shift for themselves. 
The plumage in this species is of a silky texture. Male; 
weight, about two ounces; length, seven inches and a half, 
to seven and three quarters; bill, yellowish brown, or dusky 
greenish grey at the base, dark brown towards the tip. Iris, 
slender, and dusky brown, paler towards the base; a brown 
streak runs to it from the base of the bill, and above it, 
reaching also over and behind the eye, is a light-coloured 
one. Head on the sides and on the crown, neck on the 
back and nape, greenish brown, clouded with bluish grey and 
dull yellowish, and delicately marked with a dusky greenish 
black stripe along the centre, and along the shaft of each 
feather. Chin and throat, white; throat on the sides, and 
breast on the upper part, pale greenish, with dusky black 
streaks; the lower white. Back, greenish brown, each feather 
with a darker dusky greenish black stripe across its centre 
and along the shaft, and further varied with fine transverse 
zigzag lines of dark brown, giving the bird an elegantly 
mottled appearance. 
The wings, which are very long, have the first feather the 
longest; their extent of expanse is from one foot two inches 
to one foot two inches and a half; greater wing coverts, 
tipped with white. The lesser wing coverts have in summer 
a black border near the tip of each feather, which appears 
to be wanting in the winter plumage. Primaries, nearly 
black, -each, except the first one or two, with a greyish white 
patch on the centre of the inner web. The tail has the 
four centre feathers dusky greenish brown, with a dusky 
greenish black stripe across the centre and along the shaft 
line of each; the four outer feathers on each side, there 
being twelve in all, tipped with white; and the two outer¬ 
most on each side with the outer web dull white, or pale 
brown, barred with greenish black. The whole tail is thus 
barred; the middle feathers are the longest, and the others 
gradually shortened. Upper tail coverts, also greenilh brown, 
with the like dusky greenish black streaks along the shafts 
and across; under tail coverts, white. Legs and toes, pale 
bluish green or yellowish grey, with transparent brown at 
the joints; the latter are webbed to the first joint, and have 
