402 WILSON'S PHALAROPE.
mandible with the dorsal line straight, the ridge flattened, the sides at the
base sloping, but towards the end nearly horizontal, the edges obtuse, the
tip narrow. Nasal groove linear, long; nostrils basal, linear, pervious.
Lower mandible with the angle very long and extremely narrow, the sides
slightly convex, the tip narrowed.
Head small, with the fore part high and rounded; eyes of moderate
size. Neck rather long and slender. Body slender. Feet rather long,
slender; tibia bare a considerable way above the joint; tarsus extremely
compressed, narrowed before, very thin behind, covered anteriorly with
numerous scutella, posteriorly with two series of scutella meeting with a
sharp edge; toes slender, first very small, free, with a slight membrane
beneath, second slightly shorter than fourth, third considerably longer;
all scutellate above, margined on both sides with narrow, slightly lobed,
crenate membranes, which are united at the base so as to form short webs,
of which the outer is longer. Claws very small, compressed, arched, that
of the middle toe with the inner edge sharp.
Plumage soft and blended. Feathers of the back and wings distinct.
Wings long and pointed, primary quills tapering but rounded, the first
longest, the second scarcely shorter, the rest rapidly graduated; secondary
quills rather short, broad, obliquely rounded, with a small tip, the
inner tapering and elongated, so as nearly to equal the longest primaries
when the wing is closed. Tail rather short, nearly even but with the
two middle feathers longer, of twelve rounded feathers, of which the outer
are incurved.
Bill black. Iris brown. Feet bluish-grey, claws black. The general
colour of the upper parts is brownish-grey, the hind neck and upper tailcoverts
greyish-white, the top of the head ash-grey. A white line over
the eye; a band of black along the lore, under the eye, and down the
side of the neck, on which it becomes broader and changes into chestnutbrown,
when it proceeds along the scapulars of a brownish-red colour;
another brownish-red band across the wing and including part of the inner
secondaries. Quills greyish-brown, the outer primaries and their coverts
darker. Tail-feathers pale brownish-grey on the outer, white more or less
mottled on the inner webs. Throat and cheeks white; fore neck orangebrown,
fading below, and extending paler along the sides of the body ;
breast, abdomen and lower wing-coverts white; lower surface of wings
pale grey, of tail white.
Length to end of tail 10 inches, to end of claws 11 ; extent of wings
WILSON'S PHALAROPE. 40S
17^ ; wing from flexure 7T
4g ; tail 2j% ; bill along the back 1T
7
3 , along the
edge of lower mandible 1T
8
? ; bare part of tibia f ; tarsus 1£ ; middle toe
1T%, its claw f J. Weight 2£ oz.
The Female, which is somewhat larger, is in colour precisely similar
to the Male. Weight 3 oz.
Young in autumn. Plate CCLIV. Fig. 2.
The young bird after the first moult has the bill brownish-black, the
iris brown, the feet greenish-yellow, the claws black. The upper parts
are variegated with brownish-black and light greenish-yellow, the central
part of each feather being of the former colour; primary quills brownishblack
; tail-feathers as in the adult. The lower parts are white.
c c2