ÉtCHCENICLUS . ALBESCENS.
‘Little Sandpiper.
Trtiv/ft albescens, 'tfèmm 'ju .*1! *»- ,
f,andSmpc-&çà 7,^a-s' Vf j Ipip'T, 11 tliCj t e
■ ÏÏÎjW.recfivul specimens oftgjjïifîle Sandpiper »te>ds in
jjagff§tcaitsv the. Hoqjiniano / Abroihos off the westç®coa,r îndîR pm. s loji t ^Tdrreÿ Straits ; no one,
tberefore'<®.tWAajstMli|n spçéiès of the genus, is ingregen^lydgneraa^t «** icquainted
with I In Little I)unlin ( Wu/ mi 'us minutus) of EuronaÉ r mayfSay t ^ t th&iuabife.qfi the two species
so closely assmdjgfe as t&’JeMçfr- a.' s'epar it»’ di-rripriuijgn3t!i v -s 111 Ipÿvgflat shjngly beaches fringing
deep (nw anil'jirihAoC’ the n i, -alt esfeasfos, and.spits aPJaud at the extremities of small islands, are its
Halted plaies 111 Hsjrt' Ep Van Diemen s I nid p/ib-irvyd it mTiundrefls at tegh.,‘Bay Neck and the
WKWW.R estuary near tge mpoith' of-Jhe^ Dewent-fandjt was equally plentiful àt Nepean Bay and other
the shores of Kangaroo Island, at ^p’etitranee'of Spencer’s fâulfip Jbqjith Australia. Agile and
elegant nrit&movements,dt with f^opislpip.cererttç^oll^hg’^ ^ receding tide insearch
of sueh^mall' marine jpegfe as form part of its diet, 1^11 the examples prcwttreÿky myself were in
•the nip tic (Jf tight-roiiipie'l dress, and li ad I notleceuflwreceived specimens from South Aqptr#», which
'pxjlihit traces <#fqd anfbe breast anfl'tferk feathers 0(1 th çh ip p e r lg fe , I should have hee^p| to suppose
Jhat it did iiot.Uÿdsjtginthe usual changes, of fee-other member- ,'lftthf genus.
' Mr, Gilbert found u hiVediBg native lluuynauifsi 4 ^ g lb flsriB ^g® !nhel'> its deposited in
1 bmlwj wbn h p t e d fp-rnid iq ih g illJe Ol hlaolcjd'-It'^'W^ A^.tllr( rtn HlJ ‘V t' L n PPle °fth?>water-
"and Which, whçfcthe water receded, was left high and dry a t g b o é ® « ^ ® ve yards from the waters edge.
f | | | Gilbert also states feat it assemfee^m large docks on allthe ^ e s around Perth amfontBottnest Island,
that ft ntters a weak piping noté when on thrVme, that -Its stomach is mnsenlar, and that its food consists
"tof sia ll1 land apd aquatip J^ccts,- aijdSfpiip.'mqtlyseaï H e farther' observe?! t h a t ^ ^ o r t Essington ft
congregates in flocks of several hundreds, a n d f t ^ ^ & im s h a n i t 'a n d ^ E r members-of fe e group, perches
on the niaugfovi'- du^gîthë'hejgJiCoi the flood-tide’ .
In summer ■'% crown u ffe e head and uppaiWfepe ft greyi-l; brown, with j patçh o f bl u kwly.brown m
s*the centre pf each feather; f l e e p ^ ^ ^ ^ g r u s ty r e d bgJjÇ margins of ih&aeapiil iric? with a slight wash
of rufous; wto'ggOOTSrtsf.tfilBl8d withiy;hite primarieajfflgc^ijj^hrown witd <^ ^ e/shdfts ; rump, upper tail-
wverts and two fcentre tail-feathers blackife browp f tafepfle.brofeiftb white-wMrtbfte- shafts; forehead
and nnder surface white; side^of the breast spotted with d a rk te qw a^ n d s fe in e d ^ t^ ru sty red in'the
centre ; irides brownish black ; hiH.ifldo^ish' brown ; tarsi and fe«t ‘
l ,-Tha winter plumage is similar,*b£ut. much paler, a n d j f e » - r o d markings; the
spottings of the 4<te of the breast are also moçb less extensive. "
The figures a r e o f feçVferfcft sise ; f e e lighter-coloured ferdfrepresenting fee plumage id winter, and
' t;b^e others changing from winter to summer..