452 BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER.
straight, the sides sloping outwards, with a long narrow groove, the tip a
little broader, but tapering.
Head of moderate size, oblong, compressed. Eyes rather large.
Neck of moderate length. Body rather slender. Feet rather long,
slender; tibia bare a third part of its length; tarsus compressed, anteriorly
and posteriorly with numerous small scutella ; hind toe very
small; the rest of moderate length, slender, the fourth slightly longer
than the second, the third longest; all free, scutellate above, flat beneath,
slightly marginate; claws rather small, slightly arched, compressed, rather
obtuse, that of the third toe much larger, with the inner edge dilated.
Plumage very soft, blended on the lower parts, the feathers rather
distinct above. Wings very long, pointed ; primaries tapering, obtuse,
the first longest, the second almost equal, the rest rapidly graduated;
outer secondaries slightly incurved, narrow, very obliquely sinuate on
the outer web towards the end, the inner web rounded, and extending
beyond the outer ; inner secondaries very narrow, tapering, acute, reaching,
when the wing is closed, to within half an inch of its tip. Tail
of moderate length, nearly even, with the two middle feathers exceeding
the rest, and having the shaft projecting, of twelve narrow, rounded
feathers.
Bill dull olive-green, dusky towards the point. Iris hasel. Feet dull
yellowish-green, claws dusky. The general colour of the upper parts is
greyish-yellow, each feather blackish-brown in the centre; wing-coverts
lighter; quills and their coverts light greyish-brown, greenish-black at
the end, but with a whitish tip, the inner webs whitish in the greater
part of their breadth, and beautifully dotted with black in undulating
lines; the inner secondaries like the feathers of the hack. The two middle
tail-feathers greyish-brown, dark-brown glossed with green at the end, and
slightly margined and tipped with white, the rest gradually paler to the
outer, margined and tipped with white, within which are two lines of
blackish-brown. Sides of the head, fore neck, and sides light yellowishred,
the throat paler, the sides of the neck and body spotted with brownish
black ; the rest of the lower parts paler and unspotted. The lower
wing-coverts are white, those near the edge of the wing black in the centre,
the primary coverts dotted with black, and having a spot of the same near
the end.
BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER. 453
Length to end of tail 8 inches, to end of wings 8 ^ ; extent of wings
18 ; wing from flexure 5 | ; tail 2\\; bill along the ridge along the
edge of lower mandible 1 ; bare part of tibia ^ ; tarsus middle toe
!§, its claw f|, Weight 2\ oz.
Adult Female. Plate CCLXV. Fig. 2.
The Female is somewhat larger than the male, which it resembles in
colour, but has the lower parts paler, and the feathers of the upper parts
of a lighter brown, with an inner margin of brownish-black and an outer
of greyish-yellow.