elongated, slender feathers, slightly curved upwards, which
the bird can elevate or depress at pleasure ; behind th# eye,
on the cheeks and sides of the neck, and. reaching to , the
napo beneath the, plume, white, speckled with 'black; an
oblique streak of black belowthe^eye;. back, scapulars, wing-
coverts, and tertials green, glossed With purple -and - copper-
colour ; the primaries black, the first three in each wing
greyish-white at the end; upper-tail-coverts reddish?chest-
nut; the basal half of. the tail-feathers white, the rest black,
the proportion of white greater in the t'wouor three outer
feathers, the extreme outside feather almost entirély white ;
chifii throat, and upper part of the breast shining-bla/ck;
lower part Of .the breast, belly,-and vent, white; unden .tail-
coverts fawn-colour;, legs and toes, dull fleshTC^lou-r; claws
black.
In winter; the chin and throat .are; white,, the’;chang^ to
the black of the breeding-season occurring in A pad! r ^The
s^ e s in plumage resemble each other, but the female has
the shorter occipital plume. The whole ,length-% a little
more than twelve inches. From the carpal joint to the end
of the wing nine inehes.
In young birds of the year the, dorsal feathers .are, edged
with buff.
White, cream-coloured, and mouse-coloured varieties of
the Peewit have occasionally been .obtained.
Strepsilas interpres (Linnaeus^),
THE ^TURNSTONE.
fltrcpsilasjrite/pre^
‘ S t è è p s i l a s , iu ig é ^Ê ^B é ik as êEorf as the head,' strong, thickab the base,
tapering gradusMfSto’the p'omVforradtag. an elongated, eofifTupper mandihle-the
longer/rather blunt at th&g^U, Nostrils basal, lateral,.linear,-pervious, partly
coyer^d by a membran^,- icjns^ pointed, the first quill-feather the longest^
Pfeet fqu^qpd, three in ‘front,, one behind”; thé anterior tpM. ipited by a
meShrane 'a-t' the ‘%ale,' and 'furnished with .narrow r tó fttfe n t^ ifiterdigital
nreftbranes^iQ-ito'e; articulated.upon .theitarsus; and. jugÉrêaebmg the'.ground.
„The name of Turnstone, has.-long/been a.ppl^d-to this
species from the method aqppted "by these birds of searching
fgjj^ food^by turning .„over-small stpnej, with ,^b^ | strong
beaks gej;: at th©' marine insects- that-1 lurk under them.
sj,1 %Trinya Inter^rfs,- Linnaeus, Syst. N.it. lid. 12,'i. p., 248 (170*1)*
*-i" Prodromus Syst. Mamm. et Ay. p3-263
VOÏi. III. I P P