BPOTTED REDSIl A N K.
in its texture, but those of the under parts close set and downy.
Male; weight, about five ounces; length, one foot and about half an
inch, to one foot two inches; the bill, long, slender, and a little
turned up fur about halt its length towards the tip, is nearly black
in summer, in winter glossy black, except the base of the lower
mandible, which, in the former season, is bright red, and in the latter,
not so bright; in winter there is a dusky streak, and over it again
a white one, from the base of the bill to the eye. Iris, dark brown;
the eyelid under the eye, white. Head, crown, neck on the back, and
nape, in summer, sooty black—in winter, grey; chin, white in winter;
throat, in summer, sooty black—in winter, on the front and sides,
greyish white. Breast, in summer, black, with white tips to a few
of the feathers; in winter, white, and on the sides slightly tinged and
streaked with grey. Back above, in summer, sooty black, with white
tips and margins; in winter, more grey, below white.
The wings have the first quill feather the longest; the axillary plume
is white; when closed, they reach a little beyond the tail: they expand
to very nearly two feet. Greater wing coverts, in summer, sooty black,
the feathers edged, margined and tipped with well-defined triangularshaped
spots of pure white; in winter greyish brown, tipped and edged
with white in alternate bars; lesser wing coverts, also in summer, sooty
black, with the tips and margins white: in winter grey margined with
white; primaries, in summer, black, the first with the shaft white; in
winter greyish or dusky black; secondaries and tcrtiaries, in summer,
sooty black, with the margins and tips of the feathers white; greater
and lesser under wing coverts, while, with dusky grey spots. Tail, in
summer, greyish black, with narrow transverse white bars; in winter
the middle feathers barred with blackish grey and grey; the outer ones
on each side, barred with blackish grey and white; upper tail coverts,
barred in summer with black and white, in winter with dusky grey
and white; under tail coverts, barred with black and white in summer,
i n winter white. The legs, which are long and slender, and unfeathercd
above the knee for about an inch and a half, are as the toes, dark
transparent red, in summer, in winter red. Claws, black.
The female is rather larger than the male.
In the young of the year, the bill is brownish black, the base of
the under mandible red; between it and the eye is a patch of while,
and below it is another of brown. The head on the sides is mottled
with dusky and white in streaks, on the crown as is the neck on
tin back, tinged with olive brown, generallv without spots, but sometimes
with a few white edges to the feathers; nape, greyish brown,
with pale rusty streaks and spots; chin, white; throat, greyish, with
SFOTTF.D R E D S H A N K. 193
paler rusty streaks or spots. The breast is clouded and spotted or
crossed with grey, dusky, and rufous, on a dull white ground; the
back above is tinged with olive brown, the margins of the feathers
having small triangular spots of white; below it is white. Greater
and lesser wing coverts, deep brown, with large triangular-shaped spots
of white, or the dark colour may be considered as forming the spots.
Of the primaries, the first feather has the shaft white, the others brown;
the inner webs of the first five are mottled toward the base with
grey and dusky, which colouring terminates in triangular-shaped spots
towards the centre and tips; secondaries, dusky, the borders of the
feathers darkest, and reflected with pale green and purple, and these
also still more mottled with grey and dusky; tertiarics, the same, but much
darker. Tail feathers, dusky black with black shafts, and darkest
towards their edges, barred with greyish white; it is of a double
wedge-shape, the middle and outer feathers being the longest; upper
tail coverts, white barred with dusky; under tail coverts, dull white,
spotted and barred w ith pale grey, dusky, and rufous. The legs and
toes, yellowish orange red, the colour varying with age and season.
Claws, black.