186 LITTLE SANDPIPER.
the first longest, the second very little, shorter, the third rather ihore
than omi-eighth of an inch shorter than the second, the rest rapidly
decreasing ; outer secondaries incurved, obliquely rounded, inner
straight, tapering, one of them reaching to two-twelfths of an inch of
the end of the first quill. Tail of moderate length, doubly emârginate,
that is with the middle feathers considerably longer than the lateral,
which are a little longer than the intermediate.
Bill greenish-dusky:; feet pale dull yellowish-green; claws black ;
iris hazel. The feathers on ft» Upper part of the head, and back, including
the scapulars, smaller wing-covert*, anil inner M'eomlarios,
black, broadly margined with light brownish-red ; some of the scapulars
margined externally with white, and the larger' glossed with green.
Alula, primary covërte, primary quills, and ©liter secondaries, greyishblack,
all more or less narrowly tipped with greyish-white j secondary
coverts largely tipped with the: same ; the primaries externally edged with
the marrie,'toward the basé,, as. are the outer secondaries -in a fainter decree,
1ho inner svebs of some of the lattéï ¿réyish-white towards the base.
Hump and upper tail-coverts black. 'Ilio two middle' tail-feathers
black, with pale brownish-red margins, » next feather on each Ê!e
greyish-brown, margined with greyish-white, the outer four pale
brownish-greys very narrowly margined externally, »'ore broadly round
their points and along, the inner edges with, greyish-white ; lateral
tail-Coverts with the outer web white. I'rorti the forehead over the
eye to thé occiput, a band of dull greyish-white, faintly streaked with
dusky ; loral band brownish-dusky, that colour extending to the eareovcrts
; the rest of the cheeks dull grayish-white;,' faintly streaked
with dusky ; the throat greyish-white ; the sides and fore part of the
neck of the same colour, faintly Streaked with dusky ; the rest of the
lower parts, including1 the axillar and lateral rump feathers, pure
white ; the'tower surface of the wing pale brownish-grey, the coverts
margined and tipped with greyish-white ; the shafts of the primaries
white.
Length tu end of tail 5$ inches, to end of wings oi, to end of
claws 5 | 3 extent of wings l l f ; from- tip of bill to carpal joint 2 ;
wing from flexure tail 1A ; bill along tin: ridge f| ; tarsus
hind toe and claw middle fee and claw ; outer toe and claw & ;
inner A shorter.
LITTLE SANDPIPER. 187
; Adult FemifiW- Plate CCCXX. Fig. 2.
The Keinalo is somewhat larger than the male, but similarly coloured.
,r''
In autumn, previous to the moult, the upper parts are of a darker
colour, on account of the wearing of-the reii margins of the feathers.
On the roof of the mouth 'is a scries of papilla1, and the tongue is
7 twelfths long, extremely -slender, and tapering to a fine point. The
oesophagus is 2 iniihes and 11 twelfths long,. I twelfth in diameter;
the pruveutrieulus enlarged.to 2i twelfths, its length 5 twelfths. The
stomach is a powerful g izzurd^uu^long, ^twelfths broad; its lateral
muscles large, as are the tendons. Its contents were coleopterous
and other insects. The epithelium longitudinally rugous, and of a
brownish-red colour. The intestine of moderate length, measuring 9.J
inchesj its average: diameter 1 | twelfths. The iceca 1J inch long, their
greatest diameter J of a twelfth,
The trachea is l-ft inch long, .flattened, unossified, twelfth in
diameter at the top, diminishing to 1 twelfth; the number of rings
about 105. Bronchial half-rings 15,