28 BARTRAMIAN SANDPIPER
point. Nostrils sub-basal, lateral, linear, pervious, nearer the edge than
the dorsal lin» Lower mandible, with the angle very narrow and elongated,
beyond: it the outline slightly convex, the,sides sloping outwardsand
.concave until the middle, afterwards flattened, the: edges sharp,
the: point very narrow.
Head rather small, convex above, .compressed. Neck of moderate
length, slender. Body rather slender. 1'oet loug and slender; tibia
bare for about half its length, seutellate before and behind; tarsus
long, slender, having before and behind numerous scutella, the narrow
lateral spaces with very small oblong scales. Toes slender, the: first
very short, the second much shorter than the fourth, the third and
fourth connected at the base by a web, the scutella numerous ; claws
small, compressed, slightly arched, rather blunt.
Plumage soft, on the neck and lower parts, blended ; oil the upper
rather distinct. Wings rather long, acute, narrow; primaries tapering,
and rounded, the first longest, the second a little shorter, the rasst
rapidly graduated; secondaries obliquely rounded, the inner elongated
and tapering. Tail of moderate length, much rounded, of twelve ra^
ther narrow feathers." •
Bill yellowish -green, the tip .dusky, the edges towards the base
yellow. Iris dark hazel. Legs and tarsi light yellowish-grey, toes
rather darker, claws brownish-black. Upper part of the head dark
brown, with a median pale yellowish-brown line, the margins of the
feathers also of that colour, which prevails along the sides of the head
and the back of the neck, which are striated with dusky ; the eye surrounded
with yellowish-white. Throat yeHowish white, without spots;
fore-part and si&siof the neck, with a1 portion of the breast and sides
of the body, creain-colonred, with dusky liaesj: which gradually become
arrow-shaped On the breast, forming a double transverse band; the feathers
on the sides barred; the rest of the lower parts yellowish-white,
the lower tail-coverts rich cream-coloured. Axillar feathers and lower
wing-coverts white, banded with brownish-black. On the upper parts
the feathers are dark brown, glossed with green, with rich cream-coloured
margins; the rump darker. On the margins of the scapulars, within
the pale edge, is a series of dusky spots, which towards the end become
continuous. Alula, primary coverts, and primary quills,•^Slackishbrown,
the inner webs crossed by white bands, until about an inch from
the end, the shaft of the first quill white, those of the rest dusky.
.BARTRAMIAN SANDPIPKR. 29
Secondaries grevish-brown, their outer margins pale brown, with dusky
spots; fee inner darker. The two middle feathers of the tail are, dark
olive, tinged with grey, transversely barred with black, the last bar arrow
shaped, the -margins light cream-colour: the next feather on each
side lighter, and tinged with yellowish-red; the »est gradually lighter,
the «liter while:, all barred with black.
Length to end of tail 12j inches, to end of wings .11*, to end of
claws l a i ; extent of wings 22; wing from flexure 7; tail 3 | ; bare
part of tibia »„•; tarsus 1 ]«, first toe A, Its .claw l&r middle-too 1,
its claw {% ; bill along the ridge ; along the edge of lower mandible
1ft. Weight <> oss. •
Female. Plate 006111. Fig. 2.
The Amale is » little larger, and weighs 7 oz., but resembles the
male in:
colour. The individual of which'the weight is here given
was very fat, but I have never met with any that weighed three-fourths
of a pound, as described, by WII.SON !
Length to end of tail 13 inches, to end of claws l'l, extent of wings
. 22J..
In an adult bird of this species, the tongue measures seven-twelfths
of an inch in length, and is sagittate at the base, with conical papillae,
of which the outermost is much larger, then contracted, being deeper
than broad, and tapering to a very acute! compressed point. Aperture
of the glottis long, with numerous papillae behind, the middle two
largest. The cesoplragus is 5J inches long, of uniform diameter, measuring
about [S
3 across, and passing along the right side :M the neck, along
with the tracheal. Proventriculus oblong, t
8
3 in diameter, its glandules
extremely numerous, oblong, half a twelfth in length. The stomach isa
strong gizzard of an oblong form; an inch and a twelfth long, ninetwelfths
in breadth, its lateral muscles of moderate thickness, the right
T
a|, the left the central tendons oblong, in diameter. The cuticular
lining is tough, of moderate thickness, longitudinally rugous,
the grinding plates scarcely thicker than the rest. The intestine is
18 inches long, its diameter generally The rectum 2\ inches long;
the caeca 2^'g, very slender, their greatest diameter being only ^ ; the
cloaca globular, about ^ inch in diameter. The stomach was filled
with remains of grasshoppers, of a deep red colour, with which the